Drew performs frequently with his wife, violinist Jennifer Walvoord. Together, Drew and Jenny are the Artistic Directors of the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck. Drew and Jenny are known for their dynamically engaging performances, and are loved by audiences everywhere, particularly for their fresh and often witty commentary about the music they choose to present. Their charismatic stage chemistry has taken them to venues all across the nation. (The music playing on the home page of this website is a performance of the first movement of Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano, as played by Drew and Jenny.)
Want to learn more about Jenny? Here's her story:
Jennifer Walvoord of Holland, Michigan graduated with her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has Masters degrees in both violin performance and chamber music from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelors degree in violin performance from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Her former teachers include Andrew Jennings, Mihai Craioveanu, and Joan Conway.
In addition to her position as West Michigan Symphony concertmaster, Jennifer is
member of the Grand Rapids Symphony. She is also part of the Grand Rapids Symphony Artists in Residence program as a member of an educational outreach ensemble. Jennifer has performed as soloist with the West Michigan Symphony and the Holland Symphony Orchestra. While at the University of Michigan, Jennifer performed electric violin on the Grammy Award-winning recording of William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and Experience conducted by Leonard Slatkin.
Jennifer is an active chamber musician. She performs recitals regularly with her
husband, pianist Dr. Andrew Le. Jennifer and Andrew were recently (2009) appointed to be the new Artistic Directors of the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck. Jennifer collaborated with her sister, Martha, on a recording called “American Perspectives” which was recently released on the Centaur Records Label. Jennifer’s piano quintet performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as part of the 2007 Millenium Stage Concert Series.
During the spring of 2007, Jennifer served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin at Hope College, where she met her husband, Drew. The two of them brushed shoulders at the first faculty meeting of the semester, and the rest is history.
See more photos of the beautiful Jenny here.
Go ahead and have a listen to us:
