Joint ASTA and SAA Conference Begins Today in Louisville

March 20, 2024, 2:13 PM · String teachers from all over the Americas are gathering this week in Louisville, Ky. for a conference of two of the profession's largest associations: the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), which together are presenting their first-ever co-located conference.

I will be there as well, writing for Violinist.com about the event and various workshops and performances. Please say hello if you see me!

Presenters are estimating that about 3,500 educators, exhibitors, performers, and supporters will be participating in the event, which takes place Wednesday through Saturday at the Kentucky International Convention Center and the attached Marriott Hotel. The conference will also include an exhibit hall with almost 100 exhibitors.

The conference will officially begin Thursday morning with a keynote lecture and recital by violinist Vijay Gupta with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, (John Nardolillo, conducting). Gupta is a MacArthur Award recipient, former member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and founder of Street Symphony.

At the heart of the conference are the dozens of workshops and lectures by the hour on topics including teaching pedagogy, working students of various ages and stages, expanding the repertoire and curriculum, classroom management and psychology, wellness, alternate music styles, keeping school programs thriving, master classes, and much more. It will be hard to choose which to attend!

Happening at the same time is ASTA's National Orchestra Festival, which will feature 22 high school, middle school and youth orchestras from across the U.S., with performances and clinics and culminating Saturday in an awards ceremony.

There will also be a number of other special performances, including a mini-recital featuring violinist Sirena Huang, winner of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis; as well as performances by the Sphinx Virtuosi, the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization; the Music Institute of Chicago Virtuoso Strings; the Jacobs School of Music String Academy Virtuosi; and Mike Block's Biribá Union. A closing ceremony will feature performances by ASTA National Orchestra Festival Grand Champions and the SAA Youth Ensembles.

Thursday afternoon will feature jam-session mixers with various music styles, including American fiddle, jazz and blues, Celtic music, Rock and Pop, live looping and a "Cultural Exchange Jam."

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