Maureen Girard, a long-time South End piano instructor, is hosting an in-person holiday recital for her students for the first time in nearly two years next weekend.
“Our music students have been carrying on with their music and doing a tremendous job during this time of COVID,” Girard wrote in an email.
The piano teacher said the pandemic has not prevented her students from playing, practicing and achieving.
“One student will also be (performing) who has just applied for admission to MIT,” she wrote. “In his admissions application, he talks about how important music has been to him, and how he would not be the person that he is without music.”
Another student, Matthias Pierson, is a highly proficient musician and performer at just 15 years old.
“All of Maureen’s students, we’re all really excited, and we’re really happy,” he said. “We’ve been really pleased that we’ve been able to get back in person with Maureen, and she’s been just wonderful through all this, so we’re really grateful for her.”
Though in the interest of COVID safety, only family and friends of performers will be allowed to attend, Girard said she is still grateful for the support the community has offered to the studio over the years and wants the public to know that her students are performing again.
“We have always had such wonderful support from our community for our music students. We wanted to thank you for your support and to inform you about what the kids are up to,” she said. “We hope to see you all again soon when conditions improve.”
Two of Girard’s students are also members of the South Whidbey High School jazz ensemble, under the direction of Chris Harshman. The jazz band will be performing a Christmas concert later the same week.
The jazz band concert will take place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. Seating is limited, and tickets are currently reserved for performers’ family members, but remaining tickets will be released to the public shortly before the performance.
Photo by Karina Andrew/Whidbey News-Times Matthias Pierson, 15, is a highly skilled player and improviser, according to his instructor Maureen Girard.
