Her mother, Jane Method, herself a music teacher, noted Anderson's high music standards and immediately also noticed something remarkable. Anderson creates, Jane Method said, "a very safe place too. Sherri is not just about the music; she's about the child. She really does care about these kids and wants music to be a positive part of their lives. I never get the feeling it is about her. She loves the music and she wants it to be beautiful. But it's not about her."
Stretto alumna Susan Safford, who currently studies voice at Susquehanna University and plans to join Stretto's European tour in June, credits her years with Anderson for making her the musician she is, today.
"Sherri let me join [Stretto] as soon as I was old enough to sit in a chair long enough to get through a rehearsal!" Safford wrote in an email from China, where she is traveling.
"I found as I grew up and made my way through the ranks, that I wanted to be [the] leaderthat she needed me to be. I wanted to make her proud. It is a very effective and heartwarming system, watching the younger musicians grow up and take over as section leaders."
When Anderson was asked whether her religious beliefs inspire her vocation, she struggled to answer.
"Some of it is just so organically who I am it is hard to make a comment. I have always had a sense of the Divine presence. There is the awareness of the compassion or those who are in need or suffering. That to me is a faith issue. Why does Christ matter, if we don't matter to each other? I am not sure I understand a faith that is not based in community."
Wetzel, her thesis advisor, said her faith is clear. "She doesn't wear her religion on her sleeve but she is a walking disciple of Christ."
In about a month, most members of Stretto Youth Chamber Orchestra are flying to Europe for a tour. Their itinerary includes Brussels, Cologne, Sofia, and Belgrade. For some of the musicians, heading to Europe is no big deal; there is plenty of room in the family budget. For others, it is a bit of a stretch. And for some, it is impossible. Families have been hosting fundraisers all year to make sure every musician who wants to go, will.
The musicians are about $4,000 short right now. To make a tax-free donation to the tour via paypal, visit Blue Mountain Music Festival's website, bluemountainfestival.org.
Says Anderson: "When I teach I teach so that my students can be excellent. That is why we study and do what we do. Wherever my students come from I just assume the opportunities are for all my students. "
Take a listen.
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