String Sounds was established to educate school-age children and the general public in many aspects of the performing arts, and to stimulate and encourage public interest in the arts. Dedicated to making quality arts opportunities available to school age children and the community at large, String Sounds seeks to demonstrate how the arts are integral to the vitality of our schools, communities and citizens.
String Sounds goals are to:
- Enhance education and further the arts in schools within the community through a series of performances and workshops supported by teacher preparation and follow-up materials,
- Stimulate interest in reading and independent study on the part of students; promote the various ethnic cultures, especially those indigenous to the southwest; encourage children to experiment and discover the culture of others in the community,
- Discover new methods of presenting inter-disciplinary performances uniting two or more disciplines within each project,
- Contribute to the creativity and artistic development of artists from many disciplines.
HISTORY
String Sounds was organized in 1976 by four Phoenix Symphony Orchestra musicians. In 1988 String Sounds was incorporated as a 501-(c)-(3) Arizona non-profit corporation and its members were no longer affiliated with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. String Sounds was then eligible to apply for and receive grant funding from corporations and foundations.
String Sounds has collaborated with artists from many disciplines, including operatic vocalists, a magician, a graphic artist working on an overhead projector, a professional trumpet player and professional choreographers and dancers from Desert Dance Theatre for many years.
PERFORMANCE VENUES IN ADDITION TO SCHOOLS
For many years String Sounds has performed throughout the greater Phoenix area, with occasional run-outs to rural areas of Arizona and to performances in Las Vegas, Nevada and Austin, Texas.
These include:
Chandler Center for the Arts
Libraries throughout the Valley
Paradise Valley Community College
Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens
South Mountain Community College
Symphony Hall in Phoenix (outdoor festivals)
Tempe Cultural Center
YMCAs throughout the Valley
Multitudes of resorts, hotels and churches in Arizona
*Above photo courtesy of Cameo Studios, Scottsdale, Arizona
