From a press release:
The Grand Teton Music Festival invites the community to enjoy the final product of its annual youth clinic -- StringFest 2008.
The annual three-day string clinic brings the orchestra students of Jackson Hole and Star Valley middle schools together with Festival veteran violinist Barbara Scowcroft for an intense collaborative rehearsal and concert experience. The largest StringFest to date, more than 80 young string students will be on stage at Walk Festival Hall for StringFest¹s free public performance on Thursday, November 13 at 7:30 pm. No tickets are required, and all ages are welcome.
Jackson string instructor Vincent Gutwein sees StringFest as a vital complement to his school strings program: "Learning to play a string instrument is a challenging task, but the rewards and benefits students gain from public school music is invaluable," he said. "StringFest supports my school program in a really motivating way. It's incredible for my students to meet and play with other students in the Valley who share the same passion and commitment as they do, and for parents to see their child's music education as more than just something they do in school. StringFest really gives these kids a boost."
StringFest kicks off the Grand Teton Music Festival's in-school education programs each year -- the students of Jackson Hole Middle School and Star Valley Junior High School start working on their music for StringFest as soon as the school year begins. The clinician, GTMF musician and Utah Symphony violinist Barbara Scowcroft, will visit the seventh and eighth grade orchestra classes of Mr. Gutwein (Jackson) and Brian Ashton (Star Valley) November 11 and 12 to work with each group separately before they join forces for an all-day rehearsal followed by their combined performance in Walk Festival Hall on Thursday, November 13.
