On Tuesday and Wednesday, Katherine Lehman traveled from Sewanee, University of the South, to work with the Honors Orchestra, Senior Orchestra, and Middle School Advanced Orchestra. Using humor and natural body physics, she demonstrated for the students how to hold the instrument in a relaxed manner and release the emotional content of the music. Her message to the young musicians was, “I want you to be as comfortable playing your instrument at age 75 as you are now.” To that end, Lehman focused on the students’ posture, recommending warms ups and stretches that she likened to “yoga for violinists.”
Lehman played tunes from Mamma Mia with the students, encouraging them to “use the bow as a tool” to have fun with the music. Urging them to “crayon outside the lines” and invest themselves into accents with more exuberance, she conducted Senior Orchestra and the Middle School Advanced Orchestra classes “with a gentle delight,” according to GPS Orchestra Director Mary Baxter.
Professor Lehman, in addition to her classes, private students, and Concertmaster position at Sewanee University, also performs regularly with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and teaches at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Her visit was part of the outreach program for the Sewanee Summer Music Festival.
The orchestras are rehearsing for the GPS Instrumental Concert, scheduled for Friday, Mar. 15 at 7 p.m. It will feature music from Mamma Mia, Mozart, and “Millionaires’ Hoedown”, among other classical and contemporary pieces..
Apply here to work with Professor Lehman and the other outstanding faculty at the SSMF this summer! http://www.sewaneemusicfestival.org/summer-study/admissions/application
