Happy New Year and a warm welcome to SSM 2025!

I would like to take this post to celebrate the very successful Sonora tour to San Diego and to look into what exciting events we are offering you at SSM this Winter/Spring semester.

Our 15 student violin touring ensemble Sonora spent 6 days traveling, performing, rehearsing, eating and sightseeing together in San Diego.  We performed on the USS Midway, alongside new musical friends  at  San Diego State University in a gala concert, and on the historic stage of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. We explored the aircraft carrier exhibits, witnessed several hundred dolphins swimming in the ocean, visited the Birch Aquarium, took a lawn bowling lesson complete with our own tournament and wandered through beautiful Balboa Park. We consumed a lot of food, took countless trolleys and got strong walking up a very steep hill to our Airbnb. Most importantly we built community, deepened friendships, raised our musical abilities and had a fabulous time.  Sonora represented SSM and Madison admirably.