Edward Bridge
Midwest South (Louisville, KY)
North American Outreach Council
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Edward Bridge has been a chamber music enthusiast for the past 65+ years, playing in chamber groups, organizing play-ins, leading chamber music groups, and participating in many others. One of his most gratifying moments was when his 11 year old son called him from an arts summer camp, exclaiming “Dad! You were right! It’s so much fun playing music with people!”. His son, who until then was a casual flute student, became so engaged that he returned from the summer a competent flutist who has enjoyed it for the decades since. Edward Bridge wants that joy to be available to all. 𝆗
Ed Bridge
Edward Bridge grew up in New York City. He started learning the violin at 10, taught by George Grossman (later prominent in the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East). Music, and chamber music playing was always central to his life through college, where he played chamber music as well as being concertmaster of his college orchestra. In high school he was part of Sydney Beck’s chamber music class where he was classmates with Samuel Rhodes, Martha Strongin (Katz) and Roy Sonne among others. During the summers he attended the Rosanoff chamber music school in Wilton Connecticut.
After college, he became consumed by his professional interest and involvement with the development of computer software for commercial use, leading many innovative software engineering efforts, and forming his own firm. This resulted in a 25 year hiatus in musical activity, which ended in the early 1990’s, due his wife’s encouragement, when he joined local community orchestras (Glen Rock Pops, Ridgewood Symphony). He describes his reconnection to the violin as feeling as if he’d woken up realizing he’d somehow left one of his arms somewhere, and was more than happy to be reunited with it.
Chamber music soon became central to his life and attention, and he began building a network of chamber music players in the New New/New Jersey area. Chamber groups were playing at his home weekly, and he happily went to play in other homes. He hosted annual play in parties where groups would play in several different rooms, and outside, and then convened for a buffet dinner and larger group (sextet, octet) readings in the evening. One of the most memorable was his 60th birthday party,
Since moving to Louisville, Kentucky in 2005, Edward has built new networks of players, organized ACMP play ins annually (Covid permitting), organizes and performs with Classical Revolution Louisville, and supports other chamber music, and community music organizations (Louisville Civic Orchestra). He attends the Chapel Hill Chamber Music Workshop, and other workshops, annually. Now retired, chamber music is his main activity, with 3 regular groups and other spontaneous events, helping out teaching ensembles in a local high school, and supporting chamber music wherever possible. He has been a member of the ACMP outreach council for several years, and participates in the grants committee.