Introducing our new faculty!
I am thrilled to introduce three new teaching artists joining our faculty. It’s especially exciting because they are relative locals, living and working in NYC, so, along with Rachel Gawell Burns, they will be on site for our Aug 17-20 program at Wisdom House! FYI: we have 6 spots left for those who would like to stay at Wisdom house.
Let’s get to know a little about these wonderful instructors, each of whom is dedicated to and enthusiastic about teaching adult learners.
Abby Swidler
Abby Swidler came via a recommendation from cello faculty Rachel, who is just such a magnet for talented yet non-snobby musicians. I contacted them, set up a Zoom meeting, and it was obvious that Abby would be a wonderful fit for our mission. You couldn’t ask for a more robust and well rounded foundation: they attended Eastman for undergrad, earning a BM in Violin Performance, before heading to the New England Conservatory for a Master’s in Contemporary Improvisation. They have been an artist in residence at numerous prestigious programs, and has a wall-to-wall performance schedule that folks near the city should definitely take advantage of. Like many of our teaching artists, Abby also composes and records for album, film, and collaboration. You can read their complete bio here.
Nick Revel
Nick Revel popped into my inbox a few months ago with a lovely email about a piece I had written in Strings. I checked his website out and discovered that he was the author of the popular Dragon Scales books, and someone whose music I already had come to appreciate. I noticed that he did work all over the country but lived in NY. Would he be interested in teaching at Tamarack? To my delight, he would! He is a multi-genre instrumentalist and composer as well as a passionate educator. A common theme among our faculty for this particular summer program is that we are all equally versed in the standard classical approach and methodology as well as contemporary/experimental styles and ideas. We are still nailing the finer details down, but Nick will likely be presenting a workshop involving improvisation. In our conversations so far, it’s clear that he shares my fervor for taking the fear out of extemporaneous playing. If this is something you’ve always wanted to do but just haven’t found the right entry point, come join us! You can also schedule a private lesson with any of us to work on this one on one!
Nora Krohn
One of the luckiest things about meeting Nick was getting introduced to his wife, Nora. She is a prolific performer, concertizing as an orchestral section principal all over the world while also tending to a busy recital and recording docket back home in the US. Her emphasis as an educator could not be better suited to the work we are doing at Tamarack. Her approach includes use of the Till Method, renowned for solving technical issues and mental/physical blocks while helping players heal from and prevent future injuries. She is also a longtime Alexander Technique practitioner. Perhaps the thing I admire most about her is the way she sees students as limitless in their potential, regardless of age or current level. Her own students bear out the fruits of this philosophy, many of whom have gone on to prestigious programs and meaningful careers in music. You can visit her website and read some of her thoughtful writing here. I can’t wait for her to work with you all!
That’s all for now. Really excited to see this summer program shaping up! There will be an online-only cohort announced in the coming weeks, for those of you who want some Tamarack Arts but can’t make it to Litchfield this year.
