Inside StringFest: A Q&A with Lorien Benet Hart & Barbara Scowcroft
StringFest brings young musicians from across the Tetons together for an immersive few days of collaboration, creativity and performance — culminating in a concert for friends and families. This year marks the first-ever combined StringFest, bringing eighth-grade and high school students together on one stage, with each ensemble rehearsing and performing its own repertoire.
Guided by dedicated educators and GTMF musicians, students build musical skills, form lasting friendships, and experience the excitement of making music as an ensemble. In this Q&A, StringFest clinicians Barbara Scowcroft and Lorien Benet Hart share what makes the program so meaningful, from joyful rehearsal moments to the powerful sense of pride students carry into the final concert.
This year’s StringFest performance will be on Thursday, February 26 at 6 PM in the Jackson Hole High School Auditorium – view event details here.
Lorien Benet Hart on Connecting Students to Music
GTMF: How do you see StringFest fitting into the broader goals of the Grand Teton Music Festival’s community engagement and education programs?
LBH: StringFest is a way to dig deeper into our surrounding communities on a level not accessible during the summer months. StringFest is 100% focused on these young artists who can bask in the full spotlight.
GTMF: Can you share a particular success story or breakthrough moment from last year’s StringFest that has stayed with you?
LBH: For me, it’s all about having fun – if I can keep students smiling, I can keep them engaged. One of the pieces last year (Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5) is very tricky because it starts and stops many times throughout its very short duration. Throughout our day with both schools together in the hall, we practiced these by playing games which made the rehearsals fun instead of a chore: in the morning, we had so many false starts, but by the concert, they were perfect!
GTMF: What is the most rewarding part of seeing the final performance after a week of intense rehearsals?
LBH: The most rewarding part of the final performance is seeing the pride on the kids’ faces. Stringfest is not a small undertaking for the students or their teachers, and a successful concert makes it all worth it.
GTMF: What do you hope students take with them after participating in StringFest — musically or beyond the music itself?
LBH: My goal as a teacher, whether as a violin teacher or an orchestra conductor, is of course to foster a love of music in my students. But on a broader level, I like to say that I don’t teach violin, I teach life lessons – experiences like StringFest are opportunities to learn about collaboration, problem solving and attention to detail among others.
GTMF: Anything else you’d love to share?
LBH: Last year was my first GTMF StringFest, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was so blown away by the warm welcome that I got, both from the teachers and the students. I am looking forward to another amazing three days with these young artists!
Barbara Scowcroft on Building Skills and Community
GTMF: How do you see StringFest fitting into the broader goals of the Grand Teton Music Festival’s community engagement and education programs?
BS: StringFest is education and education is a foundation of everything that creates stronger community. And every year StringFest creates a whole new generation of audience for GTMF.
GTMF: Can you describe the impact that StringFest has on participating students — both musically and personally?
BS: StringFest is an on-ramp to a life of loving classical music, collaborating with your peers, and building the muscle of personal performance with peers in a public concert. Their rehearsal space is a collaborative setting, improving skills of concentration and maturity. They see the other school districts, and unlike sports, the competition is collective to have fun and ramp up skills and excitement for the concert. StringFest improves social, emotional, intellectual, physical and leadership skills.
GTMF: What are some of the key musical or ensemble skills you emphasize with the eighth‑grade group?
BS: There are so many key ensemble skills! The concept of making a beautiful sound: How does this happen? How can we improve the connection of the mind to the bow, strings and fingers? How do we fuse the physical technique with being able to hear and analyze the sound in real time? How do we share our sound with others? How do we improve muscle memory in negotiating the calibration of the fingerboard? How is our breath important when we are not a wind or brass instrument? And then putting everything together! Incorporating all of that into each phrase is essential to conveying the music’s message. By connecting the notes through our emotional interpretation, we bring the composer’s voice to life.
GTMF: In your experience, what are some of the most meaningful moments you’ve witnessed during a StringFest week?
BS: Some of the most meaningful moments I’ve witnessed are every year watching the friendships that are developed. It’s extremely meaningful when you see eyes light up when they understand a concept, and when they love what they understand. A whole new world is opening up!
GTMF: Anything else you’d love to share?
BS: I love it when I run into a family or one of the students in the summertime, and we recognize each other and talk about how cool the StringFest was. And I really enjoy hearing what they go on to do in their life – a few in music. It’s about loving classical music, lasting friendships and a whole lot of fun!
StringFest 2026‘s final performance is free and open to the public. Join us on February 26 at 6 PM MT at the Jackson Hole High School Auditorium.