When I arrived in 1964 in Chapel Hill which was still a very small town, the University Music Department was the center of all music activities. Just about everyone attended the Tuesday Evening Concerts which featured music faculty - all accomplished musicians, in weekly concerts. WUNC broadcast the concerts live. Parking was no problem, as we just parked in the Music Department parking lot outside the door. Town musicians played in the Music Department symphony along with the students, and many people studied with the faculty.
In addition to the university scene, there were many musicians who taught and performed on a regular basis. They formed the Chapel Hill Music Teachers' Association which thrives to this day.
I was pursuing a Masters in Violin in 1965 where I met Mary Frances Boyce who was completing her Ph.D. in musicology (a name only musicians would understand - it is a degree in history and theory, as opposed to performance). Mary Frances was also a Suzuki violin teacher and persuaded me to join her, Nancy Brooks and Mary Ellen Bierk in founding the Chapel Hill Cooperative String Project teaching the then-new Suzuki method. The program took off as more parents, especially Asian parents, became interested. It is now a well established program almost 50 years later.
In 1974, Musica della Collina was formed to perform baroque music on original instruments, the first in North Carolina. Newcomer to Chapel Hill, Jane Salemson - cello, Beverly Abel - harpsichord, (later, after Beverly left for the South, Jane Harris became our harpsichordist) along with Mary Frances Boyce and Ellie Kinnaird - violins, Joyce Peck and Florence Peacock - sopranos, performed in the Dialectic Society music room with its small stage and historic portraits in Old East. Our men's auxiliary carried the harpsichord up four flights of stairs in the 19th century building without an elevator. Many evenings of music and food in a beautiful setting were spent there.
In addition to the university scene, there were many musicians who taught and performed on a regular basis. They formed the Chapel Hill Music Teachers' Association which thrives to this day.
I was pursuing a Masters in Violin in 1965 where I met Mary Frances Boyce who was completing her Ph.D. in musicology (a name only musicians would understand - it is a degree in history and theory, as opposed to performance). Mary Frances was also a Suzuki violin teacher and persuaded me to join her, Nancy Brooks and Mary Ellen Bierk in founding the Chapel Hill Cooperative String Project teaching the then-new Suzuki method. The program took off as more parents, especially Asian parents, became interested. It is now a well established program almost 50 years later.
In 1974, Musica della Collina was formed to perform baroque music on original instruments, the first in North Carolina. Newcomer to Chapel Hill, Jane Salemson - cello, Beverly Abel - harpsichord, (later, after Beverly left for the South, Jane Harris became our harpsichordist) along with Mary Frances Boyce and Ellie Kinnaird - violins, Joyce Peck and Florence Peacock - sopranos, performed in the Dialectic Society music room with its small stage and historic portraits in Old East. Our men's auxiliary carried the harpsichord up four flights of stairs in the 19th century building without an elevator. Many evenings of music and food in a beautiful setting were spent there.
Professor of Violin, Edgar Alden and his wife Dorothy Alden, were the heart of the string world. Dorothy, in addition to teaching many students, started the Young People's Orchestra which continues to this day as the Piedmont Youth Orchestra. Generations have enjoyed lessons, orchestra and chamber music in Chapel Hill through these varied and rich programs.
The UNC-CH NC String Quartet - Dec. 1970
Tied in to the local scene, was the North Carolina Symphony, conducted for many years by Benjamin Swalin. His wife, Maxine Swalin directed the public schools programs for countless years. (She lived to
102, proving that music is the healthiest of activities. I heard her play magnificently on her 100th birthday). How many North Carolina 4th and 5th grade students remember tooting away on the recorder and autoharp with the symphony, perhaps their only exposure to classical music?
We have all been enriched by the opportunities available in this university town where music and learning is valued by all.
102, proving that music is the healthiest of activities. I heard her play magnificently on her 100th birthday). How many North Carolina 4th and 5th grade students remember tooting away on the recorder and autoharp with the symphony, perhaps their only exposure to classical music?
We have all been enriched by the opportunities available in this university town where music and learning is valued by all.
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