Gretchen Paxson-Abberger

Gretchen Paxson Abberger holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Bennington College, a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and a master’s degree in Historical Performance from the Mannes College of Music in New York City, as well a two-year Long Term Certificate in Suzuki training from the School for Strings in New York City studying with Louise Behrend. Further teacher development has been short-term training courses with the following: Ronda Cole, Daphne Hughes, Allen Lieb, Carol Smith, Ed Sprunger, Carey Beth Hockett, Brian Lewis, and Alice Kay Kanack. Gretchen has been teaching privately, free-lancing, as a guest teacher at Suzuki workshops in the Toronto area since moving here in 1994. She has also taught for the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute, RCM, ESM and Hamilton Suzuki winter workshops, and Toronto Suzuki Studio’s Camp Sparrow. She teaches all levels at the North York Suzuki Program, as well, is the artistic director for the Miles Nadal Jcc Suzuki Program since 1999, and directs the MNjcc Suzuki Summer Music Camp since 2010. Gretchen founded Thanks to Dr. Suzuki Concert Performances, a charitable organization whose mission is to create community among students and teachers of Toronto area Suzuki schools in a yearly collaborative gala concert. She approaches the Suzuki philosophy from 2 sides of the Suzuki triangle, as a teacher, and also as a parent of two children who learned violin by the Suzuki method.