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Meet the Musicians
Susan Parker
Instrument:
Violin
Years with SSO: 17 years
What is your role in the orchestra (chair/principle)?
I am a member of the second violin section.
What is the hardest part about playing in the
orchestra?
Going out every Sunday evening for rehearsals. It’s
hard to leave home and go, but once I’m there, it’s wonderful.
And sometimes it’s hard to find time to practice at home, but
again, well worth the effort.
What does it take to prepare for a performance?
It takes hours of practicing parts at home and more
hours of rehearsals with the orchestra. It takes a serious
desire to learn the music and to work as an ensemble. It takes
patience -- with myself because I am not a professional musician
(I have a full-time nonmusical job), with everyone as we work
through the program at rehearsals because we all need extra time
at one point or another.
Do you have a memory of a favorite performance with the
SSO?
I have many memories of performances and they are all
good ones, but I cannot pick out a single favorite. Each
performance becomes a favorite immediately following, and often
when I hear a piece on the radio that we have played in the
past, that becomes a sort of favorite.
Do you play with any groups other than the SSO?
I have been playing with the Salisbury String Ensemble,
which is a class at SU that is performance based and has been a
wonderful learning experience. I also played for several years
with a smaller orchestra, the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore,
which is based in Onancock, VA. I still occasionally perform
with that group, but not on a regular basis.
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
I think I was around 9-years-old, after a year or two
of piano lessons which I did not enjoy. My mother introduced me
to the violin and I fell in love with it, although it was not an
immediate and consistent presence in my life until many years
later.
How long have you been playing your instrument?
I began playing when I was in sixth grade and took
group lessons through the school system until 10th grade, when I
quit. For the next 20-plus years, I told myself I would someday
get back into playing, and it wasn’t until I was writing a
story about the youth orchestra here for a youth section of the
newspaper that I met Tom Elliot and Lacey Robinson, and ended up
getting back into playing and joining the SSO. So more than 20
years, but not all consecutive years, and not full-time.
Did you study music? Where and when?
I have taken private lessons on and off for the past 20
years, at first with various teachers through the SSO and then
for about five years from a teacher in Onancock. I continue to
study with Sachi Murasugi.
Who are your musical influences?
My late mother always encouraged me to be musical. My
husband encourages me and is quite supportive of my efforts, and
my youngest son is extremely musical himself.
What CD is in your car stereo (or on your iPod) right
now?
Crosby Stills & Nash Greatest Hits is in my car stereo,
and a friend from high school compiled a CD with 125 mp3 files
of songs we listened to back in the day, which I am enjoying
immensely on iTunes.
What is your favorite style of music to play? To
listen to?
To play, it’s baroque by far, although I enjoy many
styles. To listen to, almost anything EXCEPT modern pop, hiphop
or rap. I like classic rock from the late 60 and 70s, pop from
the same era, jazz and the broad genre that is called
“classical” but encompasses so much more.
What is your favorite piece of music? Who
is your favorite composer/songwriter?
Don’t have a single favorite piece of music, but my
three favorite composer/songwriters are probably JS Bach ,
Amadeus Mozart and …. The Beatles!
If you had to play a different instrument, which one
would you choose? Why?
Flute or recorder (or both) because I enjoy the sound.
Or harp, because it is, well, heavenly.
What do you do for a living?
Newspaper editor and editorial writer.
Do you have any hobbies other than music?
Nothing formal, but I enjoy taking pictures, riding my
bike occasionally and surfing the Internet.
Is there anything else you would like us to know?