Mormon Violinist Lindsey Stirling: Remaining True to Self
Lindsey Stirling, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (comminly referred to as the Mormon church), was born in Orange County, California on 21 September 1986, but grew up in Gilbert, Arizona. She is an American violinist, musician, dancer, performance artist, and composer. She presents choreographed violin performances, both live and in music videos, including on her YouTube channel.
Lindsey had very humble beginnings in learning to play the violin. She recalls that money was tight for her family when she was little, and when her older sister wanted to learn to play an instrument, their father dug out an old dusty trumpet from their attic and told her that if she wanted to play an instrument, that was all they had. At the young age of 5, after being influenced by the classical music records played by her father, Lindsey begged for violin lessons. As she recalls, her parents could only afford a half-lesson. She also recalls, “The teachers were like, ‘I’m sorry, but a child isn’t going to learn how to play . . . in 15 minutes a week.” The family was eventually able to find a young teacher who was willing to teach Lindsey and she took private lessons for 12 years. (more…)