Strung Along

Local woman celebrates more than 50 years with the Bozeman Symphony

By Hannah Stiff

Sharon Eversman has been playing the violin for more than 60 years. She’s been a staple of the Bozeman

Symphony since its inception in the 1960s.

There was a decade of her life where she gave up the violin, having burned out from playing both the stringed instrument and the piano all throughout her school days. “I went to college, got married, and then my daughter was born, and I didn’t play for 10 years,” Eversman explained.

But when Eversman returned to the violin as a young woman, she said it was akin to riding a bike. She was a bit wobbly at first, and then the familiar motion returned.

“It came back slowly,” Eversman said. “I had a firm foundation after taking lessons from about age 8 to 17.”

And since her bow met her violin a second time, Eversman has been delighting patrons of the Bozeman Symphony with her music. Through the decades since she started playing again, crowd sizes have grown, performers have come and gone, and the symphony has adapted to the times, offering streamed performances for online audiences. In 2022, Eversman will celebrate two exciting musical milestones. “My violin will be 100 years old in 2022,” Eversman explains. “My joints are wearing out, but I’m going to play that violin in 2022.” Th new year also heralds Eversman’s 55th year playing violin in Bozeman. Her violin was purchased by her parents in Iowa City, Iowa, from a traveling violin salesman. The company salesman was from Ernst Heinrich Roth, a renowned German luthier and violin company. “I grew up in Iowa City,” Eversman said. “There was a strong music, art and drama community. My mother started me on piano when I was about 5. She wanted me to learn hymns and Christmas carols. I started violin at 8 or 9. I followed my friends to the violin and the rest is history.” In college, Eversman fell in love with an art major named Tom. The pair wed and eventually added two children to their family. From Iowa,

the family moved to Colorado where Tom taught art and Eversman taught middle school science. When Tom was offered a job in Bozeman, he excitedly talked about the beautiful rivers he could fish on or sit beside while painting. As a botanist, Eversman liked the opportunity to work in the outdoors in Montana. What she didn’t expect was not being able to teach when she arrived in the Treasure State. Because her husband was teaching in both the middle and high school, she was not allowed to join the middle school faculty, per school district rules. So Eversman went to Montana State University, this time as a student herself. There she pursued a master’s degree. She later earned her PhD, as well. By then, MSU was smitten with Eversman’s talent and acumen and hired her on to teach a litany of science courses, including botany and general biology. Eversman was part of the MSU science faculty from 1981-2007. “Whatever class I was teaching at the time was my favorite,” Eversman said. “I preferred plants to animals. It takes biological maturity to appreciate plants.” Between teaching and raising two children, Eversman said her time with the symphony - practicing and performing - was her respite from the other demands in her life. The symphony, though an oasis from daily rhythms, held its own rigors.

“Per concert, I have estimated it, there is a minimum of 20 to 25 hours of work before you ever go to a rehearsal,” Eversman said. “We have to know the music before we go to rehearsal. Then, we have five rehearsals the week of the concert. Each of those is scheduled for twoand-a-half hours.” All that solo { “Whatever class I was teaching at the time was my favorite.” } and group practice pays off during performance season, delighting long-time patrons of the symphony and new enthusiasts alike. Though Eversman says she enjoys something about each performance, she’s developed her list of favorites over the years. “I’m so partial to Verdi’s Requiem,” Eversman said. “I like Brahms, too. But every concert has something fun and interesting.” Over the years, other performers folded into the group and dropped off. Eversman said playing the violin has remained a social art for her, much as it did when she first picked it up in elementary school. “What really kept me going with violin is it’s a social instrument, you’re with a group,” Eversman said. “I never liked solos. Playing with my friends kept me going.” When her shoulder eventually wears out and it’s time for a second surgery, Eversman said she will quit playing so voraciously. “It might be kinda nice to just listen,” she said with a smile. “I’m not going to quit music, but maybe I’ll do something less strenuous.”

A Note from the Editor:

Do you know a senior who should be featured in a future edition of prime? Email your suggestions to Hannah Stiff at hstiff@dailychronicle.com.

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