Mira Frisch
Mira Frisch is Professor of Cello and Director of String Chamber Music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is also a Suzuki teacher and the low strings coach at Providence Day School. In addition to participating in school, youth, and honors orchestras, her students have performed in the cello sections of the Salisbury, Western Piedmont, and Charlotte Symphonies. They have also soloed with orchestras including the Salisbury and Charlotte Symphonies. Dr. Frisch has performed throughout the United States and abroad. Her cello playing can be heard on recordings produced by Cantus, Albany Records, and WDAV Classical Public Radio. In the Carolinas, she has performed with the Charleston Symphony, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and with the Charlotte Strings Collective, a diverse string ensemble dedicated to performing string music by Black composers. Dr. Frisch is committed to performing works by underrepresented composers and collaborating with non-Classical musicians.
Personal Statement
Hello ASTA! My name is Mira Frisch. I have been a cello professor for 20 years. I am a long-time ASTA member and have enjoyed serving as state president and on committees at the national level. I believe string education should be accessible to all students regardless of cultural background, musical interests, and socio-economic status. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of all that I do through performance and teaching and I would be thrilled to bring that passion to ASTA. I am a performer who is also a doctoral candidate in a PhD in a Music Education program so I hope to be able to help build bridges between performers and researchers. I am aware that when my mid-career generation nears retirement, our field will only be successful if we can prepare and support the next generation of string professionals. It would be an honor to serve ASTA.
Leadership Experience
My past leadership experience has included serving as the inaugural Coordinator for Diversity Initiatives for the College of Arts and Architecture at UNC Charlotte and serving as president of the North Carolina chapter of ASTA. I currently serve as a founding member, the personnel and operations manager, primary grant writer, and cellist for the Charlotte Strings Collective, a diverse chamber orchestra dedicated to performing string music by Black composers.
Response to Challenges in String Education
Politicians and education administrators often feel more comfortable supporting STEM disciplines because of the financial “return on investment.” Yet people from all backgrounds look to the arts to heal, entertain, mourn, celebrate, and help make the world more human. The arts contribute an impressive amount to our GDP. Our job is to ensure that decision makers understand just how much music improves lives including but not limited to their financial “return on investment.”
Response to DEI
I have been an EDI leader at my university. In 2020, some colleagues and I co-founded the Charlotte Strings Collective, an orchestra (with majority Black membership) dedicated to performing classical and popular music by Black composers. I have performed and professionally recorded chamber works and operas by composers of color that blend different cultures/genres and I have promoted music by Women. I would be thrilled to bring my commitment to EDI to the ASTA board.
Vision for ASTA
My vision for ASTA is that we may continue to provide support, advocacy, professional development, community, and life-changing experiences to our members and their students. I hope we can find ways to balance promoting the Western canon with highlighting works by underrepresented composers and pieces from non-Classical genres. I believe this is the "right" thing to do and also necessary in order to remain relevant moving forward.