Some Background…
The Birmingham Suzuki Violinists are
the performing group of the Birmingham Suzuki Violin Association, founded in 1984, which supports the
student violinists and
the educational practice of LaDonna Smith, teacher and Director.
Many students begin their violin studies as early
as the age of 3. Others start around 5 or 6, or even later. Some of our
students
transfer in as teens. They enjoy the fun, relaxed and "out of
the box" atmosphere of LaDonna Smith's teaching style.
The curriculum includes weekly lessons with Ms. Smith, and traditional
Suzuki group lessons twice monthly. She maintains several teaching
locations in Birmingham, and our students are not only from the Birmingham
area, but come from all over the state.
LaDonna Smith is active member in SAA (Suzuki Association of the Americas) with registered SAA Teacher Training. She is a member of ASTA (American String Teachers Association), MENC (Music Educators National Conference), ISIM (International Association of Improvising Musicians), and BAMA (Birmingham Art Music Alliance).
She holds an Master of Music degree from the University of Alabama
and travels widely as a performer & teacher. She is featured on numerous
LP & CD recordings, and has conducted seminars on improvisation
throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
She also teaches every
summer at the Central Pennsylvania Suzuki Institute.
Active performers, the Birmingham Suzuki Violinists have provided music for numerous concerts over the past years including the Birmingham Festival of Arts, now the Birmingham International Festival, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Art in the Park, performing their Spring Concert annually at Virginia Samford Theater.
In 1996, we had the honor
of traveling to Japan to participate in the 42nd National
Suzuki Concert along with 3000 other Japanese Suzuki students. The
concert in Budokan Hall was a special memorial to Dr. Suzuki, who
passed away that year. While in Japan, the violinists also took part in
the "Spring Music Festival" in Nagano. In appreciation, the Birmingham
Suzuki Violinists presented a special musical composition entitled
"Youth", composed by LaDonna Smith, in memory of Dr. Suzuki, to Dr.
Honda in Tokyo, Mr. Denda in Nagano, and as a gift to the mayor of
Birmingham's Sister City, Hitachi, along with a special "International
Friendship Concert".
(See SAA Journal, Vol 26, No. 4)
Ms. Smith has held numerous student and teacher workshops in Birmingham, inviting celebrated SAA Teacher Trainers and Clinicians, such as Ronda Cole, Nicolas Kendall, Ed Sprunger, Mark Smith, Martha Shackford, Carol Dallinger, Pam DeWall and others. Her articles have been published in American Suzuki Journal, Ability Development-Journal of the British Suzuki Institute, and reprinted in Japan in the International Suzuki Association Journal.
Recently Birmingham Suzuki Violinists had the honor of performing at the reception for violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn, at the Alys Stephens Center, in Birmingham.
Birmingham Suzuki Violinists perform Spring Concert each
year at Virginia Samford Theater