January Teacher Feature Stefka Madere
Learn more about Stefka Madere!
Stefka Madere began teaching violin with Kids’ Orchestra this school year at Westdale Heights Academic Magnet. She was originally interested in joining our faculty due to the inclusiveness of the program.
“What makes Kids’ Orchestra unique is it brings together children from different backgrounds, giving them a common language. That language is music,” says Stefka. “The best part about teaching is seeing the spark in children’s eyes when they understand or accomplish something, even the smallest things!”
She began playing violin at age 6. She graduated from the National School for Music and Dance “Dobrin Petkov” in her hometown of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Madere won 1st special prize in the “National competition for German and Austrian music” Bourgas 2000. She has appeared as a soloist with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber orchestra of the Academy for Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv, LSU Symphony and Louisiana Sinfonietta. Madere has also participated in several master classes lead by Kevork Mardirossian, Oleg Krysa, Mario Hossen, Curt Thompson, Herbert Greenberg, Marylin McDonald and Joel Smirnoff. In 2006 she participated in the 60th Anniversary of the Julliard String Quartet Seminar. Madere was a 1st prize winner of the 2006 Dean’s Concerto Competition of the LSU School of Music and received the Sidney M. Blitzer award.
Stefka has been a member of the Baton Rouge Symphony since 2005 and was appointed Assistant Concertmaster for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Madere held the positions of Principal Second violinist of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Principal Second violinist and Concertmaster of the Louisiana Sinfonietta. She has been appointed Associate Principal Second violin of the Baton Rouge Symphony for the 2014-15 season. She holds a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from LSU, where she studied under the tutelage of professor Espen Lilleslatten, former concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic in Norway. Her teachers include Darina Dankova, Sergiu Schwartz and Kevork Mardirossian.
Stefka bases her teaching model around mentorship and teamwork. “I believe that teaching is a two-way street,” she explains. “I learn from the students almost as much as they learn from me.”