My Memories of Georgia

I have some fun memories of Georgia. I first met Georgia at BYU Summerfest music camp when we were young teenagers. She was our concertmistress that year, and I was sitting in the viola section. When she first got up to tune the orchestra, she smiled. I recognized that smile as being identical to the one I saw on Kate Marriott's face months earlier at a regional viola conference just before she played Walton Viola Concerto. It was then that I made the connection that they were sisters.

That year at Summerfest we played the 3rd movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony and Samson and Deliliah by Saint-Saens. Clyn Barrus was our conductor. (Georgia and Clyn are two people that I am looking forward to becoming better acquainted with on the other side of the veil.) It was a very musical, spiritual, and memorable experience to be a part of that group. My mom sat in the audience for the concert. After the performance she said, "You have a very good concertmistress." I replied, "How do you know?" My mom said, "She was the one hitting all of the high notes in tune. I could hear her. She did a great job."

She was an inspiring performer. She did a very skilled performance of Sarasate's Zapateado at the Summerfest masterclass for Igor and Vesna Gruppman which inspired the students who listened. For her ensemble piece, she played the 3rd movement of the Schubert Cello Quintet with Lexye (Lund) Thiele, Natalie Drorbaugh and Ramona (Jacob) McConkie. That was my first time becoming acquainted with that piece. Ever since then, I have simply fallen in love with it. It has become one of my favorites. I love to listen to the entire piece. I remember their performance distinctly. Georgia walked out on stage and she had her hair on both sides twisted and then gathered at the back. That was the first time I'd seen anybody do their hair like that.

On another occasion at Summerfest, we were outside playing games. I was standing by eating refreshments while a girl standing next to me was watching the watermelon relay race. When she noticed that Georgia was getting ahead in the race, she said, "Dang. She plays well AND she can run faster than anybody."

I was so shy back then. I didn't have the guts to join her circle of friends (although I was fortunate enough to play a Beethoven quartet with Lexye that year and have since become good friends with Lexye), but I hope that one day I will be able to meet her again and become her friend.

With Love,
Melanie Richards