Wendy Tangen-Foster
Ms. Wendy is offering ONLINE/REMOTE lessons!
Wendy Tangen-Foster is past-president of the Suzuki Association of Minnesota and currently directs Ms. Wendy’s Virtual Violin Studio where students of all ages study Suzuki pieces and traditional violin repertoire along with tango, jazz, fiddle, and other alternative violin styles. She is also the Suzuki Institute Director for Education for Happiness.
With over 20 years of Suzuki teaching experience, Wendy’s students are recognized for their dedication to music, their strong technical foundation, and their passion for performing. Her students have been selected to be concertmasters and top chairs in both the Minnesota Youth Symphonies and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Orchestras and her graduating seniors have received scholarships at St. Olaf College, Augsburg College, Lawrence University, Luther College, and the University of Minnesota.
Ms. Wendy’s Suzuki group concerts are student-led; every student gets the opportunity to lead pieces (not just the most advanced). This environment allows students to develop exemplary leadership and communication skills, camaraderie, compassion, a deep understanding of ensemble work, and musical and technical flexibility.
Wendy began her Suzuki teacher-training in high school with LeRoy Bauer, Deborah Goolsby, and Craig Timmerman, and furthered her studies with Jacqueline Maurer, Carol Smith, Pat D’Ercole, Kathleen Spring, Joanne Bath, Edmund Sprunger, Joseph Kaminsky, Nancy Lokken, Alice Joy Lewis, Ronda Cole, Brian Lewis, Allen Lieb, and Ann Montzka.
Wendy developed her deep passion for chamber music after studying with the Philadelphia String Quartet, the Lafayette Quartet, and the Apple Hill Quartet. While studying at the Lionel Hampton School of Music, she fell in love with jazz and improvisation and went on to study with jazz-violinist Randy Sabien. She joined his swing band Rhythm and Bows achieving acclaim in the Midwest and performing as invited guest artists at the International Jazz Educators Conference in 2012. During her time in Minnesota, Wendy performed with Minneapolis-based Rogue Tango, a 4-piece band that plays a blend of Argentine tango, jazz, rumba, and flamenco styles and Charanga Tropical, an 8-piece Salsa band.
Wendy makes her home in Portland, OR where she enjoys running, cooking, hiking, listening to podcasts, playing Tetris, and writing and recording music with with her partner, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Django Amerson.