by Jeff Selesnick
Following the spring wind department recital on June 11, Concord Community Music School will say farewell to longtime oboe teacher and wind department chair Stefani Burk. After 36 years on the faculty, helping shape CCMS into the institution it is today, Burk will be retiring at the end of the school year.
“Stef Burk is an absolutely outstanding musician and teacher and her contributions to CCMS go beyond excellent instruction,” says executive director Daniel Acsadi. “She is a key architect of the joyful and welcoming community of the music school through her support and deep caring for her colleagues and student families. Her legacy is easy to hear and see during many recitals filled with enthusiastic oboe students and wind ensembles. We will really miss her but look forward to her visiting whenever she can.”
Described by friends and colleagues as a natural leader and educator, Burk started giving music lessons as a teenager in her home state of Iowa. Through her high school and college careers, Burk built a student base in the Hawkeye state and honed her performance and teaching chops while working towards her degree. Equipped with a BME and MA in music education and performance from the University of Iowa, Burk relocated to Maine and quickly built a cadre of woodwind students from Bates and Bowdoin Colleges, as well as a number of nearby high schools. She also earned a spot as oboist with the Portland Symphony Orchestra in 1982, and it was her connections through the orchestra that first led her to CCMS.
“One of my friends in the Portland Symphony was teaching clarinet at CCMS,” recalls Burk. “She wanted to do a piece that included oboe on a recital with (Music School Founder) Peggy Senter, so she asked me to play. Shortly after, CCMS needed an oboe teacher and that’s when I started teaching.”
Senter spearheaded the Music School’s move to its current location on Wall Street in 1988 and went about filling positions on an expanded faculty roster. Concurrent with the move to Wall Street, Senter also created department chair positions to establish leadership roles within the faculty ranks. And while it would be two years before Burk officially joined the faculty, Senter saw the qualities she sought in a department chair in Burk:
“An outstanding experienced educator, a recognized professional performer, a supportive mentor and colleague, and a humble leader ready to mold a band of musicians into a thriving department with faculty who visibly enjoy each other, are non-competitive, and show the world how great it is to make music together.”
Burk’s first year at CCMS was in 1990 and she quickly transitioned into the role of wind department chair. Her ability to connect with students and families was a tremendous asset as she developed one of the strongest departments at the school and helped build the CCMS brand in the greater Concord area and beyond. Piano teacher and colleague Kathy Southworth remembers her first few years working with Burk, watching her conduct new student orientations and community outreach.
“Stef got to know every family – not just the oboe students’ – but all of the students on some level in her department,” recalls Southworth. “She was tireless in working with public school music teachers to establish a connection with CCMS so that we could provide workshops and other kids of support for their programs. She was a true ambassador for CCMS in the larger New Hampshire musical world.”
As a teacher, Burk attracted countless students of all ages and ability levels thanks to her welcoming nature and talent for imparting information in a palatable manner. Her oboe expertise helped first-time players find comfort with the notoriously challenging instrument, and seasoned performers fine-tune their craft. One of Burk’s longest-tenured oboe students Emily Wrubel took a 40-year hiatus from playing her instrument, only to find inspiration from her first lesson with Burk and start playing again. “I think what makes Stef a great teacher is that she helps us make incremental improvements each week,” notes Wrubel. “Essentially Stef gave me back my love of the oboe. I had really missed it and wanted to play again. I hoped to make it a big part of my life but did not expect that I’d find the joy and camaraderie that I get from music these days.”
Amidst her sizeable teaching commitment, Burk continued to develop her own skills on the oboe and found numerous outlets for performing. Along with her role with the Portland Symphony, she also performed with the PORTopera and Portland Ballet, as a soloist at the New Hampshire Music Festival, Opera North, and White Mountain Bach Festival, and as part of a number of ensembles throughout New England. One of her current projects is coaching an oboe and English Horn trio based at CCMS where Wrubel has been a member for many years. “Stef has helped us really listen to each other and meld our sounds, tone and dynamics,” says Wrubel of the ensemble. “We have consistently worked to improve ourselves and the group, but if you walk past our practice session, you’ll hear periodic peals of laughter.”
Through her many years with the Music School, Burk continued to develop the CCMS wind department by recruiting dedicated faculty and encouraging an array of ensembles that performed music across a variety of genres. Her creativity and wisdom were on full display at Faculty Council meetings, and her commitment to the cause was exemplified by her years as the faculty representative on the Board of Trustees. Some of her creations, such as the “instrument petting zoo” became mainstays in the CCMS yearly calendar and are still offered by the school today.
As her career in music education comes to a close, Burk is looking forward to finally tackling the list of house projects that has steadily grown and not having to drive quite as much. She isn’t entirely sure what role music will play for her in the years to come, but she knows it will always be a part of her life. “I have loved teaching so many students of all ages who have not just been enjoyable to teach but have also been wonderful humans to enjoy interacting with,” she says. “Having so many long-term faculty members as close friends adds to the warmth.”
And with her retirement at hand, friends, colleagues and students can clearly see the legacy that Burk leaves at the Music School. “As a teacher, she modeled the kind of teacher that is best for a community music school,” says Senter. “Welcoming to everyone, with a warm loyalty to each student starting at the first meeting and enduring for many years through her beautiful band of alums.”
