Photograph by George Sakkestad
Carol Roedder, who plays violin with the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, shows good form in the back yard of her Sunnyvale home. The orchestra is currently rehearsing for two Christmas concerts to be held Nov. 23 and 24.
By KATHERINE PETERSON
Sunnyvale resident Carol Roedder chose to play violin at age 10 in her school's music program because her grandmother's old instrument sat untouched in her attic.
"My entire childhood, I practiced two hours a day without being told. I didn't realize how unusual that was until I got older. The violin was a magnet for me. I couldn't stand not playing it," Roedder said.
She has since replaced her grandmother's violin and, at age 48, is in her 24th season with the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, based in San Mateo. A violin repair shop, now out of business, referred her to the community orchestra.
She fell in love with the ability of music director and conductor Aaron Sten, whose footsteps were followed by the current maestro, Mitchell Klein. The orchestra has had only two conductors in its 48 seasons.
"I wanted to play in a community orchestra, but one that was very good," she said. The orchestra, which holds rehearsals year-round on Tuesday nights, earned the highest rating by the California Arts Council for three consecutive years and continues to expand its repertoire.
Roedder has not only mastered the violin but has picked up the piano, although she has never had a lesson.
"I don't play concerti or anything, but I accompany musicals at school," said Roedder, who teaches English at Challenger School in Sunnyvale. Challenger School is one of 14 campuses in a private school system, which Roedder said is a rewarding place to teach.
Roedder has also taught French, holds a teaching credential in music and has a master's degree in early childhood education. She has been a teacher for 22 years, initially in Chicago, and for more than 20 years in California.
Raised in a musical family, Roedder shares the love of music with her husband, Spencer, and daughters, Erica, 17, and Alexandra, 14. Spencer, who works in the computer industry, plays piano, Erica plays viola and violin and Alexandra plays cello. Both daughters attend Homestead High School and perform in the California Youth Symphony, which recently returned from a 10-concert tour in Taiwan and Japan.
"Everyone is required to perform at family reunions," Roedder said.
Roedder and her family play as a quartet once or twice a month.
"Music has given my kids a tremendous focus. They don't have to wander the malls aimlessly, and they seek out friends with similar interests. If kids are focused on what is important to them, then you have good kids," she said.
The Peninsula Symphony is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing high-quality musical presentations at modest prices, and committed to inspiring a greater awareness of and appreciation for music.
The Peninsula Symphony Orchestra will have two Christmas concerts Nov. 23 and 24 at Stanford Memorial Church on the university's campus.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 23, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.