CAROLINA STRINGS NEWS
Carolina Strings in Recital - Saturday, February 16,
2008, 1:45 pm, The Oratory Retreat, Rock Hill, SC
2008, 1:45 pm, The Oratory Retreat, Rock Hill, SC
l to r, Jane Hart Brendle - violin, Evelyn Blalock - violin , Susan
Davis - cello, and Ellen Ferdon - viola, perform in the ‘Mill Village:
A Piedmont Rhapsody’ at the Gaston County Public Library.
Gaston Gazette.
Davis - cello, and Ellen Ferdon - viola, perform in the ‘Mill Village:
A Piedmont Rhapsody’ at the Gaston County Public Library.
Gaston Gazette.
Pictured: Carolina Strings performing in the world premier,
Left side - Jane Hart Brendle, Evelyn Blalock - violins
Right side - Ellen Ferdon - viola and Susan Davis - cello
The Mill Community Project wins a national award -
The 2006 MetLife Award for Excellence in
Community Engagement!
The Mill Community Project -
Mill Village: A Piedmont Rhapsody
An original multi-media chamber music piece by David Crowe,
in conjunction with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, made
possible by grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and the
National Endowment for the Arts.
Left side - Jane Hart Brendle, Evelyn Blalock - violins
Right side - Ellen Ferdon - viola and Susan Davis - cello
The Mill Community Project wins a national award -
The 2006 MetLife Award for Excellence in
Community Engagement!
The Mill Community Project -
Mill Village: A Piedmont Rhapsody
An original multi-media chamber music piece by David Crowe,
in conjunction with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, made
possible by grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and the
National Endowment for the Arts.
CAROLINA STRINGS
FINE STRING MUSIC FOR YOUR SPECIAL EVENT
FINE STRING MUSIC FOR YOUR SPECIAL EVENT
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The Interpreter:
Jane Hart Brendle
Jane Hart Brendle learned to play on her great-grand-father’s violin in the fifth
grade at Charlotte’s Double Oaks Elementary School. That same year, busing
began in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and in the years that followed, Brendle
bounced from school to school — a fact she believes lends to her musical
experience a depth she might not otherwise have achieved. “I feel like every one
of my teachers nurtured different types of music I wanted to play," she says. "I
don’t even know if they knew they were doing that.”
Today, Brendle uses her varied music education in a range of local performance
opportunities. She has been a member of the Charlotte Symphony since 1995,
and occasionally joins the chamber musicians who play Music at St. Peter’s.
She also adds a dynamic touch to Carolina Strings, the Hodges Taylor
Ensemble and multimedia works such as David Crowe’s “The Mill Village.”
Brendle’s favorite composers are Bach and Beethoven. “I feel a special
connection to the music of these two composers,” she says. “Their
compositions, the way voices are interwoven, and the way harmonies and
melodies are crafted speaks to me on a deep emotional level.”
Jane Hart Brendle
Jane Hart Brendle learned to play on her great-grand-father’s violin in the fifth
grade at Charlotte’s Double Oaks Elementary School. That same year, busing
began in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and in the years that followed, Brendle
bounced from school to school — a fact she believes lends to her musical
experience a depth she might not otherwise have achieved. “I feel like every one
of my teachers nurtured different types of music I wanted to play," she says. "I
don’t even know if they knew they were doing that.”
Today, Brendle uses her varied music education in a range of local performance
opportunities. She has been a member of the Charlotte Symphony since 1995,
and occasionally joins the chamber musicians who play Music at St. Peter’s.
She also adds a dynamic touch to Carolina Strings, the Hodges Taylor
Ensemble and multimedia works such as David Crowe’s “The Mill Village.”
Brendle’s favorite composers are Bach and Beethoven. “I feel a special
connection to the music of these two composers,” she says. “Their
compositions, the way voices are interwoven, and the way harmonies and
melodies are crafted speaks to me on a deep emotional level.”
Jane Hart Brendle featured in the September 2007 issue of Today's Charlotte Woman (article below):
In addition to a classical repertoire, Brendle enjoys alternative jazz, and plays with Petri Dish, an “experimental, free-improvisational”
group, and with Big Octave, which has a steady gig at Blue each Thursday. While violins and jazz may seem an unusual mix, Brendle
says there is a long list of jazz violinists who have recorded over the years. “It’s just that not many classically trained violinsts play
jazz,” she notes.
“I weave my voice into what I’m playing, weaving in and out of the texture,” she adds. “With jazz, I’m either playing a big, exciting,
energetic solo or something quiet — or I’m staying out of the way so someone else can do that. With the Symphony, I’m just melding
into a whole section. It should be a big, round sound.”
When she’s not performing, Brendle is the quintiessential music teacher, having taught at Winthrop University, Davidson College,
Queens University and UNC Charlotte. She has also coached the Charlotte Junior Youth Orchestra. “ The pleasure of teaching
comes when I can tell a student something that helped me, and see it, in return, help the student,” she says.
As an artist, Brendle’s inspiration comes “simply from the chance to play music I love. Also, the sound of the violin making music with
others, and in the case of playing with ensembles, the feeling of being part of something bigger than a single voice.”
Current sound:
Classical and jazz.
Three musicians who have influenced her:
Beethoven, Bach and her husband, jazz musician Ron Brendle.
Releases:
Played on Claire Ritter’s just released suite based on works by Georgia O’Keefe and entitled "Waltzing the Splendor"; Rick Spreitzer’s
"From the Bottom"; and pianist Ann Trenning’s "All One World". Several years ago, she arranged “Greensleeves” for A Queen City
Christmas CD, which may become a WTVI special.
Instruments:
Classical and electric violin.
Find her online at:
carolinastrings.com and charlottesymphony.org.
group, and with Big Octave, which has a steady gig at Blue each Thursday. While violins and jazz may seem an unusual mix, Brendle
says there is a long list of jazz violinists who have recorded over the years. “It’s just that not many classically trained violinsts play
jazz,” she notes.
“I weave my voice into what I’m playing, weaving in and out of the texture,” she adds. “With jazz, I’m either playing a big, exciting,
energetic solo or something quiet — or I’m staying out of the way so someone else can do that. With the Symphony, I’m just melding
into a whole section. It should be a big, round sound.”
When she’s not performing, Brendle is the quintiessential music teacher, having taught at Winthrop University, Davidson College,
Queens University and UNC Charlotte. She has also coached the Charlotte Junior Youth Orchestra. “ The pleasure of teaching
comes when I can tell a student something that helped me, and see it, in return, help the student,” she says.
As an artist, Brendle’s inspiration comes “simply from the chance to play music I love. Also, the sound of the violin making music with
others, and in the case of playing with ensembles, the feeling of being part of something bigger than a single voice.”
Current sound:
Classical and jazz.
Three musicians who have influenced her:
Beethoven, Bach and her husband, jazz musician Ron Brendle.
Releases:
Played on Claire Ritter’s just released suite based on works by Georgia O’Keefe and entitled "Waltzing the Splendor"; Rick Spreitzer’s
"From the Bottom"; and pianist Ann Trenning’s "All One World". Several years ago, she arranged “Greensleeves” for A Queen City
Christmas CD, which may become a WTVI special.
Instruments:
Classical and electric violin.
Find her online at:
carolinastrings.com and charlottesymphony.org.
Charlotte’s music scene can be summed up in one word — diverse. The fact is that many of the region’s best-loved voices are
female, but the performers are hardly just pretty voices. These women have the personalities to match their bold sounds. Meet the
lyrical royalty of the Queen City — women who fill the stages with sensational music — and our hearts with joy
female, but the performers are hardly just pretty voices. These women have the personalities to match their bold sounds. Meet the
lyrical royalty of the Queen City — women who fill the stages with sensational music — and our hearts with joy
More Carolina Strings News
Face The Music
Fem-iliar Sounds Of The Queen City
By Nicole M. Sikora
Photos By Scott Stiles
Fem-iliar Sounds Of The Queen City
By Nicole M. Sikora
Photos By Scott Stiles
Join Carolina Strings Members and the Charlotte Symphony Running & Walking Team to walk in Charlotte's first
ever Out of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit AFSP, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Please
consider supporting the team by donating, or by joining us! Saturday, September 15, 2007, 11:00 am, Freedom Park,
Charlotte, Learn more: Carolina Strings Members and the Charlotte Symphony Running and Walking Team
ever Out of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit AFSP, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Please
consider supporting the team by donating, or by joining us! Saturday, September 15, 2007, 11:00 am, Freedom Park,
Charlotte, Learn more: Carolina Strings Members and the Charlotte Symphony Running and Walking Team
Carolina Strings Featured in Christmas Television
Special - "Queen City Christmas" on PBS Channel WTVI :
December 20, 2007 9:00 pm
December 23, 2007 9:00 pm
December 24, 2007 8:00 pm
December 25, 2007 11:00 am
Special - "Queen City Christmas" on PBS Channel WTVI :
December 20, 2007 9:00 pm
December 23, 2007 9:00 pm
December 24, 2007 8:00 pm
December 25, 2007 11:00 am
Carolina Strings - Performing in the "Mill Village: A
Piedmont Rhapsody", Saturday, April 26, 2008, 7:00 pm,
Maiden High School Auditorium, 600 West Main Street,
Maiden, NC 28650
Piedmont Rhapsody", Saturday, April 26, 2008, 7:00 pm,
Maiden High School Auditorium, 600 West Main Street,
Maiden, NC 28650
Jane Hart Brendle - Performing with the West Jefferson
Chamber Players - chamber music with mandolinist Darin
Aldridge, Sunday June 1, 2008, 2:00 pm, at Ashe Arts Center
(in West Jefferson, NC).
Chamber Players - chamber music with mandolinist Darin
Aldridge, Sunday June 1, 2008, 2:00 pm, at Ashe Arts Center
(in West Jefferson, NC).