Photo by Gary Benson
I grew up in a musical family. My father, Robert Hamilton, is a pianist and music professor at Arizona State University, and my mother, Beverley, was a beloved music educator in the Tempe public schools for many years. At four I began piano lessons with my dad. At seven, I added violin lessons, and then added viola when I was 14, studying with my dad's colleague, violist Jeffrey Irvine. I was principal violist for the Kansas All-State Orchestra as a sophomore in high school and again with the Arizona All-State Orchestra as a senior. I often played with my father and brother, cellist Gregory Hamilton, and we spent our Saturday mornings at Youth Symphony. I loved summers at music camps - Tanglewood, The Quartet Program, and Brevard.
I started college as a Viola Performance major at the Eastman School of Music. And though it was an excellent music conservatory and Heidi Castleman was an excellent teacher, I was dismayed that so many of my fellow students were so stressed and unhappy, and I was starting to get a glimpse of an adult classical music world that was cynical and competitive rather than collegial and in love with music.
And so, after two years at Eastman, I changed course: I got a BA in Sociology and a Master's in Psychology, and continued to play music on my own terms. In the early 2000's, in addition to playing classical music on the side, I studied Celtic fiddling at The Riley School for Irish Music and played in a ceilidh band. And from 2009 to 2012 I worked in the worship department of a large church in Seattle that had 5 Sunday services and a radio presence: planning services, scheduling musicians and running rehearsals, composing and arranging for each week's ensemble, and performing as soloist.
I still perform on both violin and viola, and have played both Celtic/folk and classical music in various ensembles, including the Prescott Pops Orchestra, principal viola for Orchestra Seattle and Kirkland Philharmonic, composing and performing with Celtic bands Acoustic Cadence, Salt, and Third Harbour, and with the chamber choir and orchestra Lyric Arts Ensemble. Fortunately I completed advanced music theory before I left Eastman, and now use those skills to compose and arrange music. https://soundcloud.com/acoustic-cadence
I am a former full-time mother with two adult children and a daughter-in-law. I love spending time with young people, especially now that my own are grown. And I love teaching, helping each student grow in skill and confidence as they learn to love playing with and for others.
I started college as a Viola Performance major at the Eastman School of Music. And though it was an excellent music conservatory and Heidi Castleman was an excellent teacher, I was dismayed that so many of my fellow students were so stressed and unhappy, and I was starting to get a glimpse of an adult classical music world that was cynical and competitive rather than collegial and in love with music.
And so, after two years at Eastman, I changed course: I got a BA in Sociology and a Master's in Psychology, and continued to play music on my own terms. In the early 2000's, in addition to playing classical music on the side, I studied Celtic fiddling at The Riley School for Irish Music and played in a ceilidh band. And from 2009 to 2012 I worked in the worship department of a large church in Seattle that had 5 Sunday services and a radio presence: planning services, scheduling musicians and running rehearsals, composing and arranging for each week's ensemble, and performing as soloist.
I still perform on both violin and viola, and have played both Celtic/folk and classical music in various ensembles, including the Prescott Pops Orchestra, principal viola for Orchestra Seattle and Kirkland Philharmonic, composing and performing with Celtic bands Acoustic Cadence, Salt, and Third Harbour, and with the chamber choir and orchestra Lyric Arts Ensemble. Fortunately I completed advanced music theory before I left Eastman, and now use those skills to compose and arrange music. https://soundcloud.com/acoustic-cadence
I am a former full-time mother with two adult children and a daughter-in-law. I love spending time with young people, especially now that my own are grown. And I love teaching, helping each student grow in skill and confidence as they learn to love playing with and for others.