AwA - Jam Session - Elissa Greene

JAM SESSION

by AwA Author

PULLING STRINGS ELISSA GREENE Photo courtesy of Strings Music Festival

ELISSA GREENE IS the Executive Director and CEO of Strings Music Festival. With Elissa at the helm, Strings Music Festival has become one of the largest economic drivers for the arts in Steamboat Springs. AwA interviewed Elissa to find out more about the organization and her passion for music.

AwA: Was music a big part of your family life?

EG: Yes! My dad is a professional musician and retired music professor. My parents encouraged (i.e., forced) my sister and me to start playing violin at age two. After two years of violin lessons, I decided that cello was way cooler and switched instruments.

AwA: How has music helped you in your life?

EG: Music has been at the heart of all the greatest things in my life.

Not only is it the foundation of my career, but it has also provided opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, like travel. But most importantly, music really helps us to form relationships, both with ourselves and others.

AwA: You play in the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra—how did you get involved and how has that involvement furthered your growth as a musician?

EG: A few people encouraged me to get involved in the orchestra, but it took me several years to join after I moved to Steamboat.

Art with Altitude

I joined in March 2008. Playing in the SSO and with my string quartet is necessary for my mental health. Performing music with other people, even if there is no audience, feeds my soul in a way that nothing else can.

AwA: If you think about one of the most difficult times of your life, how did you get through it?

EG: COVID lockdown was a really tough time for everyone. As a musician and as an arts presenter, everything changed. I realized that I took for granted the opportunity to hear live music. But what got a lot of us through that time was the arts – watching films and TV shows, singing from your front porch with your neighbors, and enjoying live streams from artists who were stuck in their homes as well with no live audiences to perform for.

AwA: How do you relax?

EG: Sitting on the deck with my dog, Shandy, always helps me relax.

Playing cello does too!

AwA: What is your favorite album right now?

EG: Last Leaf by the Danish String Quartet. It’s a collection of Scandinavian folk tunes arranged for string quartet. It’s a little classical and a little folk.

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AwA: Why is it important to have music education for kids in our community?

EG: Music education teaches all of the things we honor as a society and in a community: teamwork, communication skills, selfconfidence, greater worldview, cultural understanding, etc. And those skills can be developed in students who do not become professional musicians. In a lot of ways, music helps us to be better people. It brings out emotion and connects us to one another.

That’s really important for kids, but it’s important to adults too.

AwA: Tell us about Strings School Days.

EG: For many people, when they think about Strings, they think about the evening performances at the Pavilion, which is great—I want people to remember the beautiful shows they see here. But Strings is a lot more than that. Many people do not know about our Strings School Days offerings. We serve more than 3,000 kids in 14 schools in the Yampa Valley every year. Depending on their grade, kids might come to the Pavilion to see a performance or they might even have the opportunity to perform alongside a nationally touring professional musician. Strings School Days is one of the things I am most proud of.

AwA: How has Strings changed over the last five years?

EG: We have really focused on offering programming year-round, beyond our traditional summer festival. Our community wants more arts and entertainment offerings throughout the year, so we have really focused on bringing more to the stage throughout the fall, winter and spring. I think (and hope!) that we have also built some trust within the community that we are bringing great musicians. My wish is that people will know that they can always see a great show at Strings, even if they don’t recognize the musicians’ names at first. Since every performance is different, our programming doesn’t just change year to year or over the course of time, it changes every single night, and I think that’s one of the really special things about Strings.

AwA: How successful has Strings been in attracting community members of all backgrounds and economic levels and what have you learned? How do you ensure diversity, equity and inclusivity in your programming, staff and audience?

EG: Over 60% of Strings’ programming each year is free to the community. We try to be inclusive by presenting music in different 14

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locations in northwest Colorado and in a variety of concert formats and times. Strings School Days programming reaches 3,000 K-12 kids in three counties, including students from public and private schools and homeschooled children as well. By engaging all students and not just music students, we are able to reach a more broad demographic than we might with other types of public performances. We also work hard to make sure that diverse cultures and genres are represented on the stage. Just this summer we hosted the Drepung Loseling Monks, a group of practicing monks from Tibet; Fara Tolno, a drummer from Guinea, West Africa; along with many artists of color from diverse backgrounds. Music is an incredible unifier and serves as a lens through which we can see the world. We have the opportunity to bring the edges of the earth to Steamboat, and that’s a really incredible privilege.

AwA: Why do you think you have been successful as the Executive Director of Strings?

EG: I have an incredible team working by my side. It takes an army of talented people to make Strings Music Festival possible and our success is 100% due to the talented Strings staff. From our box office to our administrative staff to our Board members, Guild, and volunteers, the Strings team brings talent and dedication and I’m immensely grateful.

And, no matter how much education or intelligence you have, it’s hard to succeed at something when your heart isn’t in it. At Strings, my heart is completely in it. No matter how long those summer festival days get, I’m always willing to put in the work because I love what I do.

AwA: What are the keys to success for musicians?

EG: Listen, listen, listen! Listen to music you are learning, new music you’ve never heard before, masters of your instrument, etc.

—recorded and live, of course!

AwA: What is it about Steamboat that you love?

EG: It sounds cliché, but I love the people here. Steamboat isn’t just another mountain town—we’re not Aspen or Vail or anywhere else. Steamboat has so much heart and so much community.

AwA: Anything else you want people to know?

EG: Strings isn’t just a venue that you pass through, it’s a part of this place. AwA Art with Altitude

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Visit us online for tickets to upcoming performances Strings Music Festival offers innovative programs year-round.

SUMMER CONCERTS

YEAR ROUND SHOWS

STRINGSMUSICFESTIVAL.COM

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FREE PROGRAMMING

STRINGS SCHOOL DAYS

BOX OFFICE: 970.879.5056 EXT. 105