Stringing the gap

“It's so enriching and it makes you feel so happy inside. It just fulfills you and makes you enjoy life. It's just something that some people really want to have, right? And once you have that, then it could stop there, but if you’re a teacher … you want to pass it on.” – Eva DelGallo.

DelGallo is the co-founder of Southern Delaware Orchestra and a former full-time music teacher in West Virginia. Her passion for teaching comes from a grade school music teacher she had as a child growing up in her home country of Germany. DelGallo said both she and her sister were inspired by the man who would take them across Europe, opening their minds to the many delights and intricacies each note could produce, and they each took on the task of teaching. 

DelGallo found tremendous success early in her musical career, becoming first violin in both the Schwaebisch Gmuend College Orchestra and Schwaebisch Gmuend Philharmonic Orchestra in 1971, remaining in the former until 1973 and the latter until 1985. DelGallo began teaching English as a second language classes in Heubach, Germany, in 1976, a job she held until she moved to West Virginia in 1986 to marry her first husband, a man she met while earning her graduate degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., during the early ’70s.

After a decade of giving private string lessons to 25 to 30 students, DelGallo received a grant from McDonald’s to allow her to start string classes in two schools in 1996. The only problem was that her teaching license was for English and German. She did not have one for music and needed to obtain one before she could become a full-time teacher in the program she had helped to start, which she did in 2003. DelGallo said that as the popularity of orchestra instruments began to grow, an issue of resources began to crop up. In order to help fund expansion of the classes, the violinist began performing at weddings with her students, charging below market rate, but enough to raise money. Twenty-two years later, after establishing a full-time orchestra program coordinator, credit for orchestra classes, and the integration of strings on equal terms with band and chorus in Berkeley County, DelGallo decided to retire. But the music didn’t stop.

Instruments from the Attic

How could it stop when it is as much a part of someone’s life as it is DelGallo’s? DelGallo chose to settle down in Lewes, where she anticipated giving a few lessons here and there to keep the flame of her passion still aglow. But the lifelong teacher noticed a few things amiss. The first was the affordability of learning the instruments. The second was the lack of an orchestra in the area. Lessons, combined with the price of a quality instrument, can be more than that of other band instruments or choir. DelGallo, who began teaching again part time in 2019, will be teaching a beginner strings class through the Music School of Delaware at the Lewes Public Library starting Sept. 14.

According to DelGallo, craftsmanship plays an important part in the performance of the instrument and, unfortunately, it requires a good investment and experience to identify quality. As a way to string together instruments being underutilized with students in need, DelGallo has organized what is known as Instruments from the Attic, which is similar to a toy drive, calling on people who find themselves with string instruments, whether it be in their former life or through inheritance, to donate these valuable pieces of equipment. DelGallo has found success in West Virginia with Instruments from the Attic and believes it could be an effective resource for students in the Cape Region in need of string instruments.

Beginning Aug. 23, instruments in any condition, and of any kind, may be dropped off at the Lewes Public Library. Band instruments will be donated to area band programs, while string instruments will be evaluated and refurbished, if needed, and made available to private students, the Music School of Delaware, and other musicians in the area who have a need. DelGallo will not charge a rental fee, but will require a rental form. The intention is to assist local youth and adults to further their string education without the financial burden of purchasing or renting if they otherwise could not afford to play a string instrument. The drive will run until the end of October, but could be extended or be repeated at another time.

DelGallo finds tremendous joy when her students and their parents find success with their instruments. For some, it comes easier than others, but she says the reward comes after the performances when parents, who have heard all the practices at home, cannot believe what their child has just performed. Her German background cultivates a disciplined teaching style, but the engaging style of her Bohemian musical teacher balances stringent policy with successful returns, resulting in a joyous classroom. 

SODELO

Before building out the instrument drive this summer, DelGallo helped form Southern Delaware Orchestra along with fellow violinist Steve Griefer and conductor James Allen Anderson, director of orchestral activities for the University of Delaware. After conjuring up interest and settling on the Harbour Lights CHEER Center as a rehearsal center, the orchestra began rehearsing in late spring with roughly 30 members. They had their first performance July 16 at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes. DelGallo’s role with SODELO is on the music side – Anderson conducts, while Griefer handles the legal and marketing aspects of the business. DelGallo praised Anderson’s adaptability and demeanor as he leads the new group and says she is convinced that Griefer has the mind and skills to push SODELO to where it needs to go.

The next step for SODELO, according to DelGallo, is to create a library of work and performances. Most orchestras have libraries, and it can cost money to go that route, but because they are in their infancy, the cost to record the current catalog wouldn’t be too high, and DelGallo thinks it would be very useful moving forward. The group could also potentially work with local media, developers and restaurant groups to capture local sound from local musicians currently living in the area for their use.

DelGallo believes SODELO can and will continue to grow as more people not only find out about their presence, but also the culture of orchestra music in Sussex County. The orchestra is looking for a bass player to join the ranks, but has seen healthy commitments from its violinists and cellists, who vary in age and experience levels. DelGallo says instruments collected during the drive may also be available on a limited basis to SODELO members.

Eva of a new day

The music started in Germany and carried DelGallo across the pond, where she found a need to impart her knowledge to generations of aspiring musicians. Feasibility and red tape became minor obstacles in the pursuit of overtures and concertos. Band and choir programs are frequently funded publicly, but orchestras and string instrument programs can be left out. West Virginia’s orchestra scene is tangibly improved as a result of DelGallo’s love for music, and in the Cape Region, the sound of strings begins to blow amongst the woods.

Taken from the archives of a long and decorated teaching and music career was a letter DelGallo said was given to her by one of her students. The student said at first she had no interest in learning about the orchestra, but that quickly changed, and by the end of the school year, all the student wanted was more and more music. DelGallo is partially retired, with her lessons and SODELO commitments remaining, and enjoys gardening and spending time with her son, who is also a music teacher, when he visits from Austin, Texas. The retired life certainly has its perks, but a desire becomes clear when meeting and speaking to DelGallo: more and more music.

For more information about lessons or the instrument drive, contact DelGallo at delgalloviolin@gmail.com. For more information about SODELO, contact Steve Griefer, sgreifer@gmail.com.