MUSIC IS A FAMILY AFFAIR!

Posted on October 19, 2020

Pictured above is the Givens family.

By Lori Givens (Prep 1987-1988, PYP 1988-1993) and Nathan Givens (PYP 1997-1998)

We’re the Givens family! We are both violists. Lori graduated from Indiana School of Music in Music Performance, and Nathan graduated from Portland State University in Music Performance. We own a music school, Concert School of Music, and a violin shop, Quartet Violin Shop. The Portland Youth Philharmonic has been a positive influence in our family for many decades, going back to Nathan’s grandma, Shirley Vincent Powell, who played in the Portland Junior Symphony Prep Orchestra about 1940 and was a private violin student of Mary V. Dodge from 1941 to 1945.

Shirley playing the violin at age 12.

Lori spent years playing viola in PYP under the direction of Jacob Avshalomov and credits her time there as Assistant Principal for the skills she gained not only musically, but with leadership and determination that eventually led to pursue her entrepreneurial dream of combing her two passions of music and business. Nathan spent his time in the viola section as well, under the direction of Huw Edwards. Our children now play in PYP ensembles: Elijah, 15, plays bass in PYP, Mason, 13, plays viola in PYP’s Conservatory Orchestra, and Hudson, 10, is considering auditioning on cello next year.

PYP has been an integral part of our family in many ways. Lori’s father, Joe Bristol, would sit in rehearsals and watch in amazement. As an accomplished pianist, Joe loved the musical side of how “Mr. A” could get young musicians to accomplish such high standards. As an engineer by profession, Joe admired the problem solving side of the art that would enable the progression from sight-reading a program in a first rehearsal to performing a polished concert on stage.

We have always felt an immense call to give back however we can to PYP and our community. It has been a gift to see many of our private students over the years become members of the PYP organization. We knew the first year that Elijah and Mason were accepted into YSE that we wanted to pool our donation and gifting funds into sponsoring the Concert-at-Christmas.

We also feel strongly that we need to give to our community in ways that allow other children the opportunity to engage in music. Nathan has worked tirelessly as the director of the current West Linn- Wilsonville School District Primary Strings Program to ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn a string instrument in a supportive way that is accessible to all children. The WLWV School District has been immensely supportive and has taken Nathan’s ideas of providing busing, scholarships, and instruments, so no child is denied the chance to participate in this after school enrichment program. Some of these students have gone on to become members of PYP!

In this unique time, we feel it is even more important to keep organizations like PYP alive and thriving, because music can have such a powerfully positive impact that goes beyond any one community. I can not imagine our family without our connection to PYP during this pandemic and we are grateful they have been so creative with ways to have not just a “different” year, but an “historic” year.

Nathan’s grandma Shirely Powell today.

For more about the Givens musical impact on the town of Wilsonville, click here to read a recent article in Wilsonville Living Magazine.