Crisp air, changing leaves and pumpkin spiced everything. Fall is here and we are all back in the swing of things. There is a lot happening in the SSS! Here is what we have for this month!
Birthdays
Student of the month
Our students are at the top!
Welcome new students!
SSS in the schools!
National Merit Semi-Finalists
Region and All State Workshops: Last Call!
Fanny and Felix’s Follies
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Let’s celebrate our friends with October birthdays! Wishing you another wonderful revolution around the sun!
Suhani S.
Aryan P.
Huan Z.
Claire P.
Patrick L.
STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Metta Mayes
City and state?
I live in farm country outside of Cornelius, Oregon.
What are you playing/working on right now?
I am currently working on the first movement of the Walton Concerto, Bach Suite 3, Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata, Campagnoli Caprice 32, the Glinka viola sonata, and my scales and arpeggios. For orchestra I’m doing Dvořák 6, the Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Jump! by Texu Kim, and Rapsodia Urbana by Alfonso Fuentes Colon. I’m also working on recording my compositions for solo, duet, and trio with my brothers.
When did you start in SSS?
I joined the studio three years ago in my freshman year.
What drew you to the violin/viola?
I started on violin when I was four because I wanted to play the Meditation from Thaïs by Jules Massenet. It took me ten years to get to that point, but I learned it! I started on viola when I was twelve because I loved the deeper sounds. My friend’s mom, who is the principle violist for the Seattle Symphony, Susan Gulkis Assadi, always played viola for us at summer camp and I fell in love with it.
What is your favorite musical experience to date?
I’m very fortunate because I’ve had a lot of wonderful musical experiences. Performing the Fauré requiem and Moncayo’s Sueños with the Ballard Civic Orchestra are two favorites for me. Working with a full choir, orchestra, and soloists was an unique experience. More recently, I had one of my compositions, Country Air, premiered by the Phinney Ridge Youth Orchestra in Seattle. We rehearsed it together online, then filmed the parts and put them together. It was magical to watch one of my pieces come to life.
In what other activities do you participate?
I’m a violist in the Portland Youth Philharmonic, principal violist in the Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra, principal violist and coach in the Phinney Ridge Youth Orchestra, and a violin, viola, piano, and music theory teacher with the World Youth Orchestra.
Any other tidbits about yourself that you want others to know?
I have nine misbehaved chickens and four adorable guinea pigs.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW STUDENTS
We are excited about our new students joining us from both Washington and Texas! WOOHOO!
Arun K.
Ashton F.
Caleb A.
Huan Z.
Jennifer B.
Kartheek M.
Madeline S.
Oliver T.
Zoey Z.
OUR STUDENTS ARE AT THE TOP!
For the past 8 years, our students have placed into the top orchestra at Kamiak High School, in Mukilteo, WA. This year is no exception. The Kamiak Kammerstreich, are well known in the state of Washington and have consistently been yearly state contenders at the WMEA State Solo and Ensemble Contest, often placing among the top three schools. We want to take the time to recognize our students, both current and former, who are members of this ensemble:
Violin I- Joy L., Claire P. , Ryan C.
Violin II- Angelique N., Ronald L., Camille C., Pegah N.
Viola- Lilian N., Lena C.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS
We wanted to take a moment and congratulate THREE of our students, two current and one former, that are National Merit Semifinalists Scholars for 2022. The 16,000 students selected for the National Merit Semifinalist program represent less than 1% of all high school seniors and are academically at the top in their state. This is an INCREDIBLE achievement and we are extremely proud of them. They are:
Angelique N.
Lilian N.
Claire P.
Let’s continue to encourage them as they try to become Finalists!
SESEK STRING STUDIO IN THE SCHOOLS
We have hit the ground running here in Texas. Within a few days of us connecting with Fort Bend ISD teachers, we got plugged in! We have been busy with speaking, performances, workshops and masterclasses. In total we have already visited SIX schools and are planning to do even more coming up! Thank you to Kara Hernandez, Karissa Williams, Angela Peugnet, Sally Kirk, Ann Victor, and Neil Springer for having us out to work with all of your awesome kiddos. Here are some photos from our recent visits.
REGION AND ALL STATE MASTERCLASSES : LAST CALL!
LAST CALL: We have quite a number of masterclass workshops coming up. We have our Texas Middle School Region masterclasses on October 9 and our Texas High School All Area and State classes on October 16th.These workshops are meant to be an opportunity to perform for your fellow studio mates and outside participants, get valuable feedback and put on the pressure so you can feel ready for your recordings or live auditions. If you are not participating but have friends who are, help them out! Let them know about our workshops! Guaranteed to be fruitful and FUN!
All Texas classes are in person. You may check the class schedule on our website, under the “TMEA Masterclasses” link. We look forward to seeing you there!
FANNY AND FELIX’S FOLLIES
Felix celebrated his 1st birthday on September 20th! It was a small celebration shared by a few members of the family. Felix was his usual jovial self, and enjoyed being doted upon. The Poodlessohns enjoyed doggie banana ice cream and a sprinkled covered biscuit to celebrate.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
Help spread the word about our studio! If you refer a friend, and they sign up for lessons, you get 15% off of your next month's total tuition!
It's our way of saying "Thank You" for helping us grow! There is NO LIMIT to the number of people you can refer! (Just make sure they include you as a reference when they sign up!)
We always appreciate Google reviews too! It helps us get seen on the web.
We'll see you next month!