The final piece in the four-part series with the NRO’s Alumni String Quartet focuses on fun insight by Sadie Hamrin
Back for her third straight summer in Breckenridge, violinist Sadie Hamrin embraces the independence and interactive element of her work with the National Repertory Orchestra’s Alumni String Quartet.
Sadie Hamrin. by Elaine Collins.
“A summer in the beautiful mountains of Colorado is a pretty easy ‘yes,’” says Hamrin, a McGill (Master of Music) and Baylor University (Bachelor of Music) graduate who spent her last two summers with the NRO as co-concertmaster and recently completed a fellowship with the New World Symphony and joined the Spoleto Festival Orchestra.
She believes this summer with the String Quartet will guide her in becoming a more pro-active and well-rounded musician.
“There is a sense of independence that musicians don’t normally face in an orchestra as far as picking repertoire, rehearsing it without a coach or conductor, and brainstorming to figure out how to best use the music in either a program, for a school event, or donor dinner,” she says. “There are constant opportunities to improve public speaking, learn how to curate classical music in a way that kids get excited, and find more exciting ways to present a program to a variety of different audiences. Working with a small and positive group of people who are excited about music and giving back to the community is a fantastic opportunity to revitalize the ‘why’ of a classical music career and have a lot of fun bringing music to an involved community.”
The 2025 Alumni String Quartet. by Elaine Collins
Joined by fellow NRO alums Solveig Geenen, Tyler Brugmann and Haley Rasmussen, Hamrin’s last few weeks have consisted of educating and entertaining small children in school, library and day camp performances, concerts at private homes and in free public outdoor locations throughout Summit County.
Hamrin says highlights include the library events, which involve infusing music into the story line of children’s books and the upcoming July 16 free Chamber Concert at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge, for which the Quartet curates the entire program of their personal favorite music and shares the stage with young prodigies who won the prestigious Yamaha Piano Competition.
The Minnesota native says the community performances in which she casually answers audience questions, laughs and jokes with listeners have improved her public speaking prowess. They have also provided gateways into making classical music more accessible for everyone.
“As musicians, we have spent plenty of time alone in the practice room, so we crave people to share music with, especially in a space that breathes life into it, like the NRO. Classical music can often feel inaccessible, and getting out into the community and showing that it doesn’t have to be something that is so separate from mainstream consumption is so important,” she says. “There is such a big energy shift when people show up and are involved with musical organizations, and it is vital that as musicians and organizations we give back and show up to as much of the community as we can.”
Don’t miss the NRO Alumni Quartet’s personally programmed Chamber Concert from 6 to 8 p.m. this Wednesday at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge. Sponsored by Breckenridge Distillery and Breckenridge Grand Vacations, the free concert features young winners from the Yamaha Piano Competition and works by Benjamin Britten, Gabriella Smith, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelsshon.
Also, mark your calendars for the Quartet’s remaining free outdoor performances:
JULY 23: Pop-Up Concert, 1 p.m., Frisco Historic Park Gazebo, Frisco
JULY 26: Keystone Encore, 10 a.m., River Run Village, Keystone
JULY 28: Pop-Up Concert, 5:30 p.m., Silverthorne Performing Arts Center, Silverthorne
To view the full calendar of this summer’s NRO events, visit nromusic.org.