News and Events

STEP celebrated its 22nd year at the

34th ANNUAL SUZUKI STRING SERENADE

on SATURDAY, MAY 11th at

SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

45 MAPLE ST. SPRINGFIELD 01105

STEP Suzuki strings students performing from memory with area musicians on the May Suzuki String Serenade at South Church, Springfield

See videos from the concert on the STEP Suzuki Strings Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/100057701310147/videos/996052881866597

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=7365175370258747

Our family-friendly concert included classics by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Schumann, arrangements of Joplin’s The Entertainer  and La Bamba, and performances by the STEP quartet, student soloists and director Lani Bortfeld.

STEP students also gave a FREE Solo and Chamber Concert

 on WEDNESDAY, February 7th 2024

at SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 45 Maple St. Springfield 01105

Here’s student Kadence Sharpe performing Bach’s Musette:

STEP gave a free interfaith sing-along in December 2023 at the Springfield Central Library’s Rotunda.  Opening with “Happy Holidays” Twinkle and Feliz Navidad, the audience then joined in the sing-along with music of the holidays of Chanukah, Christmas and Reyes.Visit our Facebook page  to hear some of our holiday performances:  https://www.facebook.com/STEP-Suzuki-Strings-136005969797105/

STEP thanks South Congregational Church, the Springfield Suzuki Partnership (SSP), STEP’s parent/teacher organization, and friends and alumni for making STEP’s 22nd year of music ministry possible!  

We’re on Facebook, on the STEP Suzuki Strings Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057701310147

And on the Springfield City Library’s Facebook page:

STEP’s 2021 virtual interfaith holiday sing-along at the E. Forest Park Library:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=606527947305231

And on YouTube:

STEP’s 20th anniversary concert in May 2022:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnbsB2cjL_g

STEP’s 2021 Fall Open House on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Quxai-tWk

https://youtu.be/3kIwU0caNpI – Las Navidades

https://youtu.be/FHAppbuLEBo – Jingle Bells

https://youtu.be/vBa3Q4ZsF7M – Dreydl & Days of Chanukah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymf4osCxyxU – O Jerusalem

 Oct. 2020 livestreamed FALL OPEN HOUSE

on the STEP Suzuki Strings Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/STEP-Suzuki-Strings-136005969797105/videos/689581598359373

Also on the STEP Suzuki Strings Facebook page:

STRING MUSIC TO SOOTHE THE SOUL

a concert to benefit Open Pantry

Livestreamed on June 12th 2020 

at the Congregational Church of Somersville, CT

 In place of the annual Suzuki String Serenade in May, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, STEP livestreamed this concert to benefit Open Pantry of Springfield.

This family-friendly concert featured our middle and high school students along with STEP soloists Kadence Sharpe of Springfield and Kevin Meara of Holyoke, chosen by audition.  We performed the first half of what would have been the 31st annual Suzuki String Serenade.  Director Lani Bortfeld also performed the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria, hoping to assuage some of the pain over the losses our country suffered from the pandemic and systemic racism.  It is our hope that our music, including classics by Bach, Becker, Joplin, Mozart, Pachelbel, Schumann and von Weber, will soothe your soul, lift your sorrow for a time, and inspire you to give back to your community as we rebuild and reform our lives and institutions after the devastating events of the past months.  This was our effort to help heal our community from both the stress of the pandemic and the sorrow and anger of ongoing racism in our country.

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STEP students performing at our annual Solo & Chamber concert:

 

We share Shinichi Suzuki’s belief that all children can learn when families, students and teachers work together.

A young STEP student performs her solo with pride!

Director Lani Bortfeld leads STEP's newest students in a demonstration of how we learn Suzuki violin.  

Above, Lani Bortfeld leads STEP beginning students in a demonstration of how we learn Suzuki violin.  Dr. Suzuki believed that all children can learn, and so do we!

Below, Director Lani Bortfeld performs Corelli’s La Follia  with friends on the 2018 Suzuki String Serenade.  Lani and students singing along to the 2018 concert finale, De Colores, below.