Violinist Laura Andrews, the instructor for Andrews Strings Studio, performs with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Her students will perform at an upcoming Fridays@First concert at First United Methodist Church in downtown Columbus.
The Republic file photo
Violin teacher Laura Andrews sometimes worries soon after her students first begin rehearsing the pieces she has assigned them for a recital or concert.
“Sometimes, I think to myself in those first three weeks, ‘Oh, no, this piece maybe is a little too challenging for them,’” she said. “But I have never had that actually happen. Somehow, these kids always rise to the challenge.
“I think that by having a performance like a recital, they know that maybe 100 or more people are going to be sitting there. And once they fully know and realize that they’re going to be showcased, that really provides a lot of motivation.”
The 7 p.m. Friday free Fridays@First concert series at First United Methodist Church in downtown Columbus serves as the latest motivation for her 12 students, from elementary to high schoolers, currently comprising her Andrews Strings Studio roster locally. The church’s monthly programs have featured everything from ex-Columbus Symphony Orchestra conductor and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra cellist Arkady Orlovsky to the Columbus Brass Quintet to the Purdue Glee Club, which has drawn big crowds at local venues such as The Commons.
So the spotlight can be a prime one. For this presentation, piano accompanists will be Jill Friedersdorf and Mirabella Minut.
Organizers describe the series as one that “presents a wide variety of musical styles and artists utilizing the Bechstein grand piano, the Moller Opus 8406 pipe organ and the intimate concert setting of our sanctuary.”
Other than St. Bartholomew Catholic Church’s series, and also visiting classical and choral groups featured at St. Paul Lutheran Church, First United Methodist’s varied offerings are among the few houses of worship mixing sacred and secular works to highlight musical diversity.
Andrews has been teaching for nearly 40 years while also performing with both the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. She says that recital instrumentalists “never forget being on that stage when the whole room gets quiet, and you know then that everyone is listening to you.”
The poise required in such a situation is substantial, especially for a younger student. But then, Andrews has her students performing side by side with members of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at one concert each year. So her charges get to see poise and professionalism up close.
Student Alexandra Harrison, a home-schooled high school senior, understands.
“Practicing the violin is a lot like a sport, especially when you’re pouring that much time and diligence into it,” Harrison said. “And that in itself affects so many different areas of your life.”
Her piece for this performance is “Accolay Concerto in A Minor” by Jean-Baptiste Accolay. Yet, she hopes her audience notes more than the music.
“As a follower of Christ, I want people to see that I am working not for my own glory, but rather, for the Lord’s glory,” Harrison said. “I pray before I go up there, ‘Lord, let them see more than just me.’”
For her part, Andrews makes it clear that she understands that musical discipline bleeds to nearly any line of work or calling later in life — especially when that discipline is birthed from the violin — “such a very difficult instrument,” as Andrews puts it.
“I have a number of my students who eventually have gone into music,” Andrews said. “But the majority, of course, don’t.
“But all the skills that they learn to use from music — they’re going to help future engineers who are leading a meeting, for nurses interacting with others, or they’re for someone conquering a challenge with some software development program.
“These skills eventually will transfer into their individual lives.”
