Three Local Violin Students Accepted to MMEA Festival

Three local Cape Cod violin students were accepted into the Southeast District Music Festival.  Isabelle Eastman and Nicole O’Leary will be performing in the Senior program in January, and Brendan McGillicuddy will be performing in the Junior program in March.  All three violinists are students at Kingsbury Strings Studio in Eastham.

Shawn Verfaillie, Artistic Director of Kingsbury Strings, stated, “We are so proud of these students and their accomplishment.  The auditions for the program require rigorous preparation of specific pieces of music, scales and a sight reading exercise.  The program is a wonderful learning experience.  Isabelle, Nicole and Brendan have certainly learned a great deal from their preparation for the audition, and will enjoy the program as they prepare for their concerts and join together with other students from throughout southeastern Massachusetts.”

Isabelle Eastman is a freshman at Nauset Regional High School.  She has been studying violin with Mr. Verfaillie for 9 years and is a member of the Nauset Regional High School Orchestra.  Isabelle lives in Eastham and is also a member of the Cape Cod Symphony Youth Symphony.

Nicole O’Leary is a senior at Nauset Regional High School and has been studying violin with Mr. Verfaillie for 8 years.  This is Nicole’s second acceptance into the MMEA Festival Program; this year she also received an All-State recommendation.  Nicole is a member of the Cape Cod Symphony Youth Orchestra and lives in Orleans.

Brendan McGillicuddy is a 7th grader at Oak Ridge Elementary School.  He has studied violin with Mr. Verfaillie for 8 years and also enjoys playing for community events including the Sandwich Holly Days Christmas Stroll.  He lives in Sandwich.

The MMEA (Massachusetts Music Educator’s Association) is a state-wide non-profit organization that serves as an influential voice for music as an essential part of core education in Massachusetts.  Each year the organization sponsors a variety of programs and auditions for music students.   Learn more about the southeastern branch of the MMEA at http://www.semmea.org/.

Kingsbury Strings is a studio dedicated to professional music instruction and event performance.  The studio was established over 20 years ago on the beautiful lower Cape. Private and group lessons are offered to students of all ages and levels of ability.  Shawn Verfaillie is the founder and Artistic Director of Kingsbury Strings and Kingsbury Strings Studio.  He also serves as faculty member for the Nantucket Community Music Center as their Suzuki Violin Instructor and is a member of the Suzuki Association of America. Read more about Kingsbury Strings at http://kingsburystrings.net/home.