Charmian Stewart
Violinist and Teacher
Charmian Stewart is a graduate from the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts and the Cleveland Institute of Music where she received her Bachelor and Master Degrees of Music and studied with David Updegraff.
She has been a member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra, San Jose Symphony, Monterey County Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, and Sacramento Chamber Orchestra. Her chamber music experiences include the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, string quartet recitals in Australia; Moscow; Baku, Azerbaijan and Tbilisi, Georgia and as a founding member of Trio Dagoba, which specialized in Contemporary music. She has enjoyed performing with Barry Manilow, Dave Brubeck, Sharon Jones and the Dap- Kings, John Handy, Nancy Griffith, Belle & Sebastian, and the Scorpions.
She currently is Concertmaster of the Mill Valley Philharmonic, a member of the the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, founding member of celtic/nordic folk duo The Forget Me Knots, co-director of the Ross Valley String Ensemble, and she performs with the Marin Symphony and California Symphony. Prior to moving to San Anselmo, her teaching experiences included the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, the Cleveland School of the Arts, the New England Suzuki Institute as well as private studios in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. She now has over 25 students in her San Anselmo Suzuki Strings studio, and until recently taught strings at the Marin Waldorf and San Domenico Schools.
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When not teaching or playing, she enjoys hiking, gardening, and reading.
Music for Events
Please contact me at theforgetmeknotsmusic@gmail.com if you are interested in live music for your event. I can provide classical music or traditional Celtic-Scandinavian music.
Suzuki Violin Lessons
Please contact me at suzukisananselmo@gmail.com if you are interested in Suzuki Violin lessons.
Testimonials
Performance Testimonials
"Charmian’s lovely performance of an engaging selection of classic, Broadway, pop, and surprisingly convincing(!) rock melodies was roundly enjoyed as a satisfying accompaniment to our banquet event. She even took requests, without being stumped! Her selections sparked occasionally lively, if quiet, discussion among the tables as to exactly which classic piece or show tune we were hearing, which only added to the moment. As enjoyable as her performance was, it was also quite unobtrusive for those who simply wanted to socialize within the subtle ambiance that she provided. When the dinner conversation sometimes rose to a slight clamor threatening to drown her out, she carried on as a professional without missing a beat. The perfect guest artist for our 70-person event!"
Bel Marin Keys Yacht Club
Group Class Testimonials
Comments from the Star Wars class:
"Thank you for setting up the Star Wars Zoom class! My daughter and I both thought it was interesting and she wants to learn the Luke Skywalker theme. She had never seen Star Wars so she is now very keen to watch it. It was interesting to hear about all of the different themes and how they were inspired by other music, and I liked all of the examples Dr Speicher showed to illustrate different periods and types of music. I'll definitely listen more closely the next time I watch those movies."
"I thought the session was awesome. Dr Speicher was excellent; very engaging and knowledgeable. I was impressed with the quality of the information and I learned a lot. Overall, kudos to you for thinking out of the box, coordinating the session and bringing new and fresh info to your students and parents. Thank you! "
Comments from the Harry Potter class:
"My daughter LOVED the Harry Potter class. She really enjoyed seeing the movie through the music as she had never paid attention to that before. She also really liked learning about the music that was tied to the characters. Dr. Speicher brought great energy and enthusiasm to the lesson and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for putting this together!"
"Thank you so much for the (Harry Potter) class yesterday-- Dr. Speicher was enthusiastic, engaging, knowledgeable, and so much fun!"
"Charmian does an incredible job incorporating talented, Grammy award winning professional musicians into the group lesson format to showcase the range of current and future possibilities playing the violin -- the sessions are all interactive and the guests, professional musicians, have a tie back to learning violin through the Suzuki method which is inspiring to students and parents alike."
Forget Me Knots Testimonials
“Charmian Stewart and Amanda Craver are two extremely talented musicians! They excel at several styles, classical and folk-including Celtic and Scandinavian traditional music. I’ve been led by Charmian as the head of our string sections in the Mill Valley Philharmonic and I study privately with Amanda. They play with enthusiasm, great skill and are I always try to go hear them whenever and wherever I can! They are a huge treat to listen to!”
- Merrie Jaffe, Board member and performer in the Mill Valley Philharmonic
“Violin and Cello duo, Charmian Stewart and Amanda Craver, have performed several times at the San Anselmo Public Library and each concert is highly anticipated and enjoyed by both patrons and staff. Charmian and Amanda introduce each piece and then play, making it not only a pleasurable event but an educational one, too.”
- Serianna Leyland, Adult Services Librarian