Violinist Discusses her Experience Performing with the Orchestra
Kerstin Tenney grew up in Taylor, Arizona, a small town with just over 4,000 residents. Tenney went on to study Violin Performance at Northern Arizona University then earned a master’s degree in Violin Performance from the University of Utah.
Today, Tenney is a violinist with the Orchestra at Temple Square. She has toured with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir twice and has contributed to many of the albums of the Choir and Orchestra. Recently, Tenney was profiled by the Arizona Journal, a newspaper that serves Navajo County, Arizona. An excerpt of the article follows:
Tenney is a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square, which rehearses on Thursdays and Sundays prior to Music & the Spoken Word unless they are working on something special, such as at Easter and Christmas when they appeared on a PBS show, then they rehearsed more.
She has recorded with Mormon Tabernacle Choir and orchestra making several CD’s. She has also played background music for recordings of such things as the Bible videos, and does background recording for other people.
Tenney has gone on two tours with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, one to Virginia, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Toronto, and one to several cities in the Midwest. “I love playing in the orchestra,” she said noting that a highlight is being with her brother Preston, who sings in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
“I just love it. I get a lot of satisfaction playing,” said Tenney. “It’s lots of work, lots of lessons, but so satisfying,” she said. “Playing makes me feel like I’m soaring.
“It’s definitely a part of who I am and how I express myself.”
Tenney said that she is amazed she’s in the Orchestra at Temple Square, noting, “I’m just this girl from a little town (Taylor). How did I get here?”