Students learn from the pros: violinists, cellists and more highlight YSU Fiddle Day

Caitlin Hedge will be one of the lecturers highlighting YSU Fiddle Day Saturday, April 10 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Photo courtesy of Lori Factor

By Kelcey Norris 

Youngstown State University student musicians lit up the stage Sunday, March 28, at their first in-person performance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite their recent return to the main stage, the Dana School of Music is taking advantage of virtual meetings once again to host three guest lecturers. They’ll provide once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities for music students. 

Some of these students studying the violin have a one-day virtual opportunity to learn from the experts in their field. YSU’s Fiddle Day will be held this upcoming Saturday, April 10 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. 

Wendy Case, lecturer of violin, and the YSU Strings Guild sponsor the event.

Guest lecturers are Caitlin Hedge of the Warren Philharmonic, author and contemporary musician Tracey Silverman and international violinist Steven Greenman. 

“All three clinicians are master performers and excellent teachers, and I am delighted to see how Dr. Case has organized such an excellent workshop for our students and the public. She is making great strides to enhance YSU’s reputation as a center for string pedagogy in the region,” said Randall Goldberg, director of the Dana School of Music.

The students will be able to learn directly from experts right from home. Each of the guest speakers will host a class and teach a different style of string instrument performance, specifically Celtic, klezmer and chop music styles. 

Other upcoming events hosted by Cliffe College of Creative Arts include the virtual performance of “An Evening with Billy Shakes,” reenactments of Shakespeare’s classics with a twist. 

There will also be a new painting exhibition called “A Visual Exploration of Adolescence: Growth, Identity, & Resilience,” created by graduate Emily Goerig in Bliss Hall on April 5.