In Sunday’s (4/28) Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), Barbara Curtin writes, “Lori Dressler vividly remembers the day in first grade when a music teacher put a half-size violin in her arms. She practiced willingly through elementary, middle and high school, until her full-size instrument needed repairs that her family couldn’t afford. The cracked violin sat in a closet for 20 years while Dressler got on with her life: marriage, five kids, home schooling. Finally her husband, knowing how she missed playing, had the violin repaired, and Dressler fell in love with music again. It’s a story told with variations throughout the Salem Pops Orchestra, where Dressler now plays. The group is one of several local opportunities for adults to rediscover music or turn a career as professional musician into a hobby. … Cellist Louise Putman related how the Salem Pops welcomed her back to music after years away to teach and raise her family. She’s in her 49th year with the Pops. ‘It’s nice to be able to give something back to the community,’ she said, noting that the orchestra gives concerts at the Historic Elsinore Theatre and awards college scholarships to youth.”
Posted April 29, 2013
