SUNBURG — Sounds of yesteryear filled Hope Lutheran Church as dozens of violinists came together for an afternoon of education in a free afternoon workshop and subsequent concert Sunday in the quaint small town of Sunburg.
Funded in part by a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, Sunday's free fiddle workshop was aimed at preparing students of varying age and experience level to put together a handful of songs for an audience later that evening at a capstone concert.
Violinists were split into various groups by skill level to practice throughout the afternoon. The workshop was led by Cristina Seaborn of St. Cloud, Dempsey Schroeder of Minneapolis and Maggie Harp of New London.
This was the third meeting of the group thus far. To round out their gatherings, the group will put on its grand finale on Sunday, May 15, during the Syttende Mai event taking place throughout Sunburg.
According to Darlene Schroeder, who serves as the project director of the Sunburg Heritage Arts project, the times of family and friends getting together to play the fiddle has tapered off locally in recent years.
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"It seems like we need to be intentional with it now, since it's not being passed from family to family like it was," Schroeder said. "We're hoping that will change. We're really encouraging it to be a family tradition again."
