Calgary Suzuki Strings Association
CSSA Winter Workshop & Baroque Presentation
Saturday February 24, 2024
The CSSA Winter Workshop will take place the morning of Saturday, February 24, 2024 at St. Giles Presbyterian Church - 1102 23 Ave NW Calgary. The workshop will run from 8:30AM to 11:45AM. Students will be scheduled for classes based on the instrument they play and level or age.
Baroque Workshop (For ages 12 & up/Book 3 & up violin and ages 10 & up/Book 2 & up guitar students) Cost $65.00
8:30AM - 11:05AM with presentation starting at 11:15AM
Students will have a Baroque Dance class, Baroque Guitar or Violin class, then a Baroque class with Guitar and Violin together.
We have three wonderful clinicians coming to work with our students. Beginning at 8:30AM, Kimberly Johnson will lead the students in learning to dance the Baroque repertoire they will play on their instruments. At 9:30AM Elisa Sereno-Janz will work with the violinists and Kat Hammer with the guitarists. Please see their bios below. At 10:25AM the violins and guitars will work together. Baroque Workshop participants will do a presentation at the end of the morning, to share what they have learned, from 11:15 - 11:45AM.
Suzuki Violin Winter Workshop (For ages 11 & under Books 1 & 2) Cost $45.00
Violin Group Classes Suzuki Books 1 - 2 (9:30 or 10:20AM - grouped by level)
Violin students in Books 1 - 2 will enjoy a Suzuki group class with Joanne Melvin. Students will be grouped with others playing at a similar level. Group class is a fun way to meet with other students from around the city and make music together.
Baroque Dance Enrichment Class (9:30 or 10:20AM)
For violinists age 11 & under
We are excited to have a Baroque Dance enrichment class with Kimberly Johnson at the CSSA Winter Workshop this year. Students will have the opportunity to learn the dance steps to their Baroque pieces, helping them make a deeper connection and understanding of the music they're playing.
Baroque Dance Enrichment Class for Book 1 Guitar (age 9 & under) and Piano students (all ages and levels) Cost $25.00
We are excited to have a Baroque Dance enrichment class with Kimberly Johnson at the CSSA Winter Workshop this year. Students will have the opportunity to learn the dance steps to their Baroque pieces, helping them make a deeper connection and understanding of the music they're playing. Students will be placed in classes appropriate to their age and level.
Bios and Information About our Clinicians
Kimberly Johnson - Baroque Dance
Kimberly Johnson is passionate about both music and dance and is excited for the opportunity to teach young musicians the joy of dancing to the pieces they are studying. Kimberly has her Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University studying Dance where she performed with the BYU Cougarettes. She has studied many dance forms including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, musical theatre, ballroom, folk, hip hop and more. She worked at Walt Disney World as a performer before switching her focus to teaching and choreographing. She has directed and choreographed several musicals for Small Time Theatre in Calgary including A Christmas Carol, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, and The Wizard of Oz. She has also performed and choreographed with Calgary's En Corpse Dance Collective and Maren Ord Music's original musicals,The Gardener and Featherpen Fairy Tales. She has also completed Grade VIII Piano through The Royal Conservatory of Music and taught piano for several years. Having started her musical journey with Suzuki as a young girl, Kimberly is thrilled to attend this special event with the CSSA (Calgary Suzuki Strings Association).
Elisa Sereno-Janz - Baroque Violin
Elisa Sereno-Janz is a violinist specializing in baroque music and traditional styles. With an Honours Bachelor of Music in Performance and a Bachelor of Education from Western University, she has been teaching violin and directing string orchestras for over four decades. In 1998 she founded Baroque and Buskin’ Strings to build an inter-generational community of amateur string players. Elisa wrote and arranged over 30 folk songs for string orchestra or quartet to teach a variety of skills and ensure that everyone had a fun and interesting part to play.
Baroque and fiddle music were a natural pair because they were from the same time in history, and have many similar techniques. Elisa's interest in baroque music led to her attendance at the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute in 2003 and 2004. There, she met baroque violinist Linda Melsted, who came to Calgary to teach numerous workshops and perform concerts with the orchestra which expanded its repertoire and became Blue Arch Strings.
Currently, Elisa is the director of the Calgary String Collective and loves sharing her expertise with musicians of all ages. Elisa is happy to be a part of the Suzuki School’s Winter Workshop, Baroque Session, and is looking forward to working with the students on February 24, 2024.
Kat Hammer - Baroque Guitar
Kat Hammer plays many different types of guitars – focusing on renaissance and baroque period instruments. Kat has studied in Canada, Germany, and England, and has a MA in Music Theory and Analysis. In 2020 she played with Donovan Seidle on his recording of H.I.F. Biber's Mystery Sonatas. In addition to performing and teaching Kat edited a 17th century manuscript of the music of Antonio de Santa Cruz. She performs on lute, theorbo, and baroque guitars in various solo and chamber music settings, and teaches guitar and mandolin.
Joanne Melvin - Violin Group Classes
Joanne Melvin is a violinist, teacher, SAA-registered Teacher Trainer and Suzuki Mum. A teacher with 40 years of experience, Joanne taught in Virginia and North Carolina before assuming the role of Artistic Director of Suzuki Talent Education Society (STES), Calgary, a position she held for nine years. She currently maintains an active private studio in Calgary where she teaches children and adults of all ages and playing levels. Joanne is a Registered Teacher Trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) and enjoys instructing students and teachers at SAA workshops and institutes throughout Canada and the USA. Joanne served on the SAA board of directors for nine years, and held the offices of Secretary and Chair of the board. She has also served on SAA’s “Suzuki Principles in Action” (SPA) course development committee, and Violin Syllabus Committee. She currently serves the SAA as a member of its Teacher Development Advisory Committee, Joanne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Carnegie-Mellon University, and Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in violin performance from East Carolina University. Joanne is married to Tom Melvin, recently retired as minister at Deer Park United Church, Calgary. They are the parents of (now grown-up) Baussman Melvin, former Suzuki cellist, national gold medal gymnast, SAIT graduate and auto service technician.
