Dr. Norman Fawson was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Utah Chapter of the American String Teachers Association at its winter meeting in St. George, along with recognition for Dr. Xun Sun, Jason Bonham, Sara Penny, David Park, and Karen Chandler.
Delivering nearly 4,000 babies plus surgery and emergency room care would be a complete career. But for Fawson, it’s only a part of his contribution to Southern Utah. He helped organize the Southwest Symphony, and when the concert hall lacked an acoustic shell, he helped procure funding and arranged for a shell to be designed and built. Along with Audrey Bush, he started an early morning program to teach string instruments to young people. For 33 years, he taught early morning violin and viola. The string programs have now become an integral part of Washington County schools.
In his remarks, Fawson stressed the value of music training for young people and the excitement of having flourishing orchestra programs throughout the area. His service in both music and medicine have enriched Southern Utah.
OSU conductor and Southern Utah University professor Sun was named Educator of the Year. He directs the symphony orchestra at SUU as well as serving as the music director for the Orchestra of Southern Utah. He completed his doctorate degree at Teacher’s College at Columbia University. Sun has continually broadened his professional career as an orchestral conductor. He has conducted the Orchestra of Southern Utah since 2003, several opera productions at SUU, and orchestras in America, Ukraine, and China. Sun continues to teach a masterclass in conducting in Hunan. He has worked diligently to promote world peace through music. He has taken American musicians to China for performances and brought many Chinese guest artists and conductors to perform in America. In addition to the ASTA award this winter, Sun was recognized by Musical America as one of 30 professionals and “influencers” this season.
Jason Bonham was recognized as Secondary Education Teacher of the Year for his work developing the Tuacahn music program. He was the Director of Orchestras at Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts and was the founder and artistic director of the Tuacahn Summer Arts Institute. He is also on faculty at the Nevada School of the Arts. Additionally, he served on various boards including the American Viola Society, the Kayenta Arts Foundation, and the Chamber Music Society of Southern Utah. Currently, he teaches viola at University of Nevada Las Vegas and in the past has been a faculty member at Brigham Young University and Dixie State University. In fall of 2016, he will join the faculty at California State University.
Sara Penny was named Studio Teacher of the Year. Sara has directed the Suzuki Strings of Cedar for 33 years and participated in numerous Suzuki workshops and trainings. She plays viola in the Orchestra of Southern Utah and serves as administrative assistant. She has been president and manager for the OSU. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and started playing her Grandma Helen Hafen’s violin at age 8. Her teachers included R. L. Halversen, Norma Lee Madsen Belnap, Alfred de Reyghere, and Eduard Schmieder. She has also attended numerous Suzuki workshops with clinicians such as William Starr, John Kendall, William Preucil, and Terry Durbin as well as directing annual regional workshops in Cedar City.
In addition, ASTA recognized David Park as Higher Education Teacher of the Year and Karen Chandler for Outstanding Contribution to Music Education. ASTA provides training and opportunities for string teachers throughout the nation.
