Her Love of Strings Started Early

By Anna Patterson


Brittany Kotheimer MacWilliams is cultivating a novel generation of musicians. Photo yesteryear Melissa Donald 


Concertgoers inwards the crowded theatre applaud equally y'all accept the stage. Behind y'all sits a total orchestra, awaiting the conductor’s downbeat. Your clothes swishes equally y'all heighten your violin to your chin. You are the soloist, the 1 everyone has come upward to hear.

Oh, in addition to y'all are too 10 years old.


Brittany Kotheimer MacWilliams began playing the violin at historic menstruum 3. Her human relationship amongst the violin was non an 2nd dearest matter — similar many children, Brittany did non e'er relish practicing. Her turning hollo for was her solo debut amongst the Louisville Orchestra at historic menstruum 10. The thrill of performing, the excitement of alive music, the joy of giving the gift of music to others — Brittany was hooked for life.

Brittany left her Louisville habitation for Cincinnati to pursue her bachelor’s, master’s, in addition to doctoral degrees inwards violin functioning at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). For almost 12 years, Brittany remained inwards Cincinnati amongst pedagogy positions at Xavier University, CCM in addition to the Cincinnati Starling Project, a pre-college string program.

But her Kentucky habitation was calling. Brittany returned to Louisville amongst her hubby in addition to children in addition to is straight off on faculty at the University of Louisville School of Music pedagogy violin in addition to viola.

Since returning to Louisville, Brittany has snuff it founder in addition to manager of the University of Louisville String Academy. This programme caters to high-level pre-college string players, offering a diversity of functioning opportunities, sleeping room music, music theory, in addition to masterclasses.
In Apr 2014, the String Academy was awarded a $240,000 grant from the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation — a prestigious respect really few academy programs receive. The grant allows for the bulk of String Academy students to participate on scholarship, opening the door to to a greater extent than string players. “I desire to run across all of these students achieve their total potential, snuff it off in addition to create peachy things inwards music in addition to inwards life,” Brittany says. “It is in addition to hence rewarding to run across the acquit on String Academy has on our students — in addition to I am excited for the program's hereafter in addition to its greater influence on our community."

Apart from her pedagogy career, Brittany too performs regularly, in addition to she is a woman nurture of three. “It’s a juggling act,” Brittany says. “There are e'er multiple balls inwards the air.” It’s a constant mental battle: Are her kids existence neglected? Are her students getting plenty attention? Is she over-practicing? Not practicing enough? “You’re balancing from 1 human foot to the next,” Brittany says, “and sometimes y'all mightiness autumn on your face. But y'all larn dorsum upward in addition to motion forward. You stimulate got to realize y'all can’t command everything.”

At historic menstruum 38, Brittany has formed a career that continues to grow. Her advice for teachers: Inspire immature people. The students at String Academy are the hereafter of the Louisville music community. Brittany in addition to her colleagues are edifice a foundation in addition to appreciation for classical music that tin plough over the axe inwards plough inspire a city, a state, in addition to who knows — fifty-fifty the world.
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