Violinist shares talent with young musicians
But for the past dozen years or so she has been sharing her talent with young string players, many of whom are now making their way in the professional world of music.
Now 76, Stout founded the Timpanogos Chamber Orchestra with music teacher Kathy Bird after a successful career of her own.
"I twisted her arm," Stout said.
At age 16 in Duluth, Minn., she played with the Duluth Symphony as the second chair violinist until she entered college. Those were the years following World War II when many professional musicians escaped Europe and settled in America to continue their careers, she said. Among them were Isaac Stern and Raphael Druian, later concert master with the New York Philharmonic. She studied under him at the University of Minnesota.
"I was able to study under some wonderful musicians," she said.
Many of them had relocated in her hometown of Duluth. She also played under Tuano Hannikainen, former conductor from Helsinki in the Duluth Symphony.
"I was always surrounded by such wonderful musicians. We could talk the same language," Stout said.
After moving to Maryland in late 1960s, she worked with young string players along the Eastern Seaboard and in Canada for many years. Then when her children moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, Stout and her husband, who has since died, soon followed.
"In Utah I saw more talent per inch than any place I'd been," she said.
She contacted Bird at Mountain Ridge Junior High, and the youth chamber orchestra was soon holding auditions and giving the young musicians an advanced experience.
So why does Utah have so much musical talent?
"I think it's the parental support," said Stout's daughter, Lisa Brodie.
The chamber orchestra drew from throughout Utah, and as it grew Stout created a second orchestra and finally a third. Musicians are placed in the orchestra that best fits their talent — senior, junior and midlevel.
Unlike those orchestras, when conductors Stout, Bird and Patricia Pinkston hold their annual summer String Camp Workshop, anyone who auditions can play. The rehearsals are intense, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. During lunch and breaks they hold a vocal workshop for the students to sing tunes from a wide variety of eras while they rest their hands.
Recent comments
Lois Stout is a FORCE. My three sons (now adults) were fortunate...
Lois Zajic | Aug. 18, 2008 at 6:39 p.m.
