Lani Bortfeld

Violin, Viola Teacher

Lani Bortfeld

SAA Member

Contact

Enfield, CT
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suzukitalented.com

Lani Bortfeld received her Bachelor’s in Music from the New England Conservatory and her M.M. from the University of Connecticut. Lani an SAA-trained teacher, has presented at three international conferences and has been a member of the SAA since 1981, when she attended the International Suzuki Conference in Amherst, MA and saw Dr. Suzuki in person for the first time. She is an experienced orchestral, chamber and solo musician, including 33 years in the Waterbury Symphony (CT), where she served as principal second violin and first violin. She is first violinist with the Arcos/iris Quartet and a familiar soloist at area houses of worship. She is a member of Local 171 of the American Federation of Musicians, and performed the May 2014 world premiere of Gwyneth Walker’s quartet, The Dove, and her choral work with chamber accompaniment,To Love This Earth.

Honors include being an artist-teacher on the Creative Teaching Partners roster of the Mass. Cultural Council, receiving an Artist Fellowship from the Springfield Cultural Council and the McKnight Neighborhood Council 2014 Community Service Award for “dedicated work in the cultural arts and in the education of young people” and a 2021 MusicLink “Teacher of Distinction”. In 2001 Lani founded the Suzuki Talent Education Partnership (STEP), an interfaith music ministry in Springfield, Mass. dedicated to making Dr. Suzuki’s family-centered method of instrumental music instruction accessible to students of all ages, genders, economic levels, religious and ethnic backgrounds. Lani teaches in English and Spanish, and enjoys involving families of all cultures and ethnicities in their children’s music education. Lani presented at the SAA’s biennial conferences in 1994, 1996 and 2008. Her 2008 presentation, entitled “Building Diversity in Suzuki Programs,”and her article in Vol. 49#1 of the American Suzuki Journal, “Working Toward a More Nurturing Suzuki Community,” reflect her commitment to diversity and equal access.