Board Members (Bios)
Founding Board Member Aaron Mendelsohn
Varina Bleil
Georg Eittinger
Joseph Pertel
Tim Tortora
Angela Woo
Advisory Council
Julia Cser
Ruth Eliel
Linda Gross
Wendy McGinty
Joni Swenson
Teri Zakzook
Our History
Elemental Strings was founded by the Maestro Foundation in 2004 as a small youth orchestra for elementary school-aged students. Its purpose was to inspire students and support the district’s strong elementary school music program. Music director Peter Park (former orchestra director of Lincoln Middle School) and a small group of teachers worked with students every Friday after school at Lincoln Middle School, and very quickly, a family of sorts came together. Students and parents from different elementary schools became friends, and a musical community at the elementary school level was born. What started with only 26 students has since grown to add a second orchestra for the 2010-2011 season, representing all of the SMMUSD elementary schools in Santa Monica and beyond.
Of the over 250 students who have been members of ES, many are leaders of the orchestra programs at both JAMS and Lincoln Middle School, and also at SAMOHi. Most of our alumni continue to perform on their instruments at school and in outside programs such as the Colburn School of Performing Arts, Junior Chamber Music, String Project LA, and the LA Youth Orchestra.
The program is now led by Executive and Artistic Director, Dr. Josephine Liu Moerschel and Program Director, Ms. Kirsten Bersch. We have moved our rehearsal location to Santa Monica High School, where most of our ES students will eventually go to school. Our concerts will take us to three different locations around Santa Monica this year, including both Lincoln and John Adams Middle Schools. Most students in ES will be attending one of these two middle schools very soon, and our new concert locations provide everyone with the chance to get to know and perform at their future schools.
Elemental Strings also offers additional opportunities for past and current students. Through our Mentor Program, alumni in high school are paired up with current students to provide weekly private tutorials for those who are interested. Elemental Strings maintains several partnerships with area organizations and businesses in order to give students additional music opportunities, including concert visits and other music-related field trips.
When ES was first founded, it was uncertain how successful the program would be. There are very few youth orchestra for students of elementary school-age, but such a program seemed to be a perfect fit for Santa Monica, a community clearly devoted to the arts. Parents, teachers, and students agree that capturing the hearts and minds of elementary school students leads to long-term involvement and love of music. ES has been successful beyond anyone’s expectations and continues to grow in quality and scope. We are grateful to our community of talented students, supportive families, dedicated coaches, and the Maestro Foundation for making this program what it is today.
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