Abby Spichke
My interest in music began at a very young age, as I grew up surrounded by classical music. My mother is a talented pianist and has had an active private studio for many years. I have drawn much inspiration from her talent and our many conversations about composers, teaching, and music in general. She helped me develop my ear, and connected me with excellent teachers that would help me pursue my study in violin, which I am very passionate about.
I consider myself a highly motivated and dedicated student. I was recognized as a finalist in the Schubert Club Competition in spring 2019, and received an honorable mention in the Thursday Musical Young Artist Competition in the spring of 2019. I have also been honored by the Virtu Foundation, who has graciously loaned me a 1993 Douglas Cox violin.
A key way that I have been inspired and experienced musical and personal growth is through participating in music festivals. I attended the Bravo! Summer Music Academy in 2017 and 2018 where I participated in chamber music, masterclasses and solo performances. I attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in 2019, where I was a semifinalist in the concerto competition. I also attended the Red Rocks Winter Chamber Music Festival in January of 2022. I have been inspired by all the musical opportunities I have experienced through my degrees. I was blessed to be under the tutelage of Professor Sally O’Reilly and Sergiu Schwartz, and was his Graduate Assistant. I am blessed to have gained a great deal of musical and technical knowledge through their emphasis on technique and the art of performing. I participated in Ms O’Reilly’s pedagogy course, where she shared a wealth of information regarding the art of teaching. I had the privilege of playing in masterclasses for Dr. John Gilbert-Professor of violin at Texas Tech School of music, Dr. Michael Heald-Associate Professor of Violin at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, University of Georgia, Timothy Lovelace- director of the Collaborative Piano Institute at the University of Minnesota, Andrew Ling- principal viola of the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra, and Sam Fischer-Colburn School of Music. I also worked under the direction of maestro Marc Russel Smith, director of the University Symphony Orchestra, and gained leadership skills as Assistant Principal Second Violin. I also held Principal Second Violin and Concertmaster positions in the Schwob Philharmonic in Columbus GA, under the leadership of Paul Hostetter.
I am passionate about music and teaching violin. I love sharing the invaluable information passed along from my own teachers (Sergiu Schwartz (CSU-Schwob), Sally O’Reilly (UMN), and Roger Frisch (Minnesota Orchestra). I also look for ways to expand my reach in music education and became an Ambassador for the Samuel Vargas Foundation, which envisions access to life-changing opportunities through music education while preserving the humanistic and creative values within communities. I coordinated a donation drive in August of 2022 to help support these aspiring young musicians.
Violin Lessons 