Delicate Sound

usan Shevitz likes
playing her flute with
other instrumental-
ists better than she
likes playing alone.
Although the flutist
never entertained the
thought of becoming
a full-time musician,
she has made enter-
taining in concerts an
important part of her
life.
Her longest affilia-
tion, 20 years, has
been with the Birmingham-
Bloomfield Symphony Orches-
tra (BBSO), which is planning a
free concert set for 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 20, at Shain
Park in Birmingham.
The orchestra will present Or-
pheus in the Underworld by Of-
fenbach, Royal Fireworks by
Handel, Gold and Silver Waltz
by Lehar and musical comedy
hits from Sweet Charity, A
Chorus Line and La Cage Aux
Folles.
"Playing an instrument gives
me a feeling of being creative,"

Susan Shevitz's stage can
be in the home,
in the store or outdoors.

SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

said Ms. Shevitz, who also per-
forms with the Michigan Flute
Orchestra and at services at
Temple Kol Ami. "I like many
different kinds of music, and I
like these lighter selections for
an outdoor concert."
Ms. Shevitz, who has made a
formal career out of being a li-
brarian, has experienced her
musical avocation as a family in-
terest.
Persuaded by her parents, she
began studying piano at age 6
and switched to flute in high
school.
With her mother, a piano hob-
byist, and her father, who shared
in the appreciation of serious
music, she began attending
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
concerts when she was very
young.

"We always sat in the
balcony so we could
watch the whole orches-
tra," she recalled. "I was
fascinated with the
winds and debated about
playing the flute, oboe or
clarinet. Finally, I decid-
ed I liked the sound of
the flute best.
"I almost took violin
when I was in elemen-
tary school but begged of
because I didn't want to
take the same instru-
ment as my sister."
During high school,
Ms. Shevitz played with
the Adat Shalom Syna-
gogue Orchestra. After
graduation and during
semester breaks from
the University of Michi-
gan, she performed with
chamber music groups
organized by her former
teacher, Abe Levine.
Sometimes she was in
the audience for those
home recitals, listening
to her sister, Judy
Berman Fried, who now
is a member of the Cleve-
land Orchestra.
"I didn't start playing
with any big group until
I took lessons from Ervin Mon-
roe, first flutist with the DSO,"
said Ms. Shevitz, who was work-
ing for the Royal Oak Public
Library at the time. "I have to
say that I owe that to my hus-
band."
Henry Shevitz, a doctor whose
hobby is piano playing, had met
Mr. Monroe in a Royal Oak
music store and asked about
lessons for his wife. After
only one session in 1971, Mr.
Monroe recommended his new
student for the Pontiac Sym-
phony.
"I was in the Pontiac Sym-
phony for five or six years, and
for two or three of those years
I also was in the West Bloom-
field Symphony," the flutist re-
called. "Later it changed to the
BBSO.
"Five or six years ago, I heard
the Michigan Flute Orchestra
play, and it was a beautiful
sound. A friend of mine was in
it, and she eased the path for
me."
In her own home, Ms. Shevitz
continues the live music tradi-
tion she knew during her grow-
ing-up years. There are piano
duets as well as piano and flute

Susan Shevitz: The flute's a favorite.

combos with her husband, who
appeared with the BBSO for one
season.
Son Loren, 22, a U-M psy-
chology graduate who spent the
past year doing volunteer work
in Israel, has studied piano and
has joined his parents for at-
home music sessions.
Last spring, daughter Shana,
16, performed with her mom at
the annual Michigan Flute Fes-
tival at Orchestra Hall.

Mother, librarian
and flutist.

Ms. Shevitz, who can play
short pieces by ear, was trained
to read music closely. In turn,
as a part-time children's book-
seller at Borders, she teaches
preschoolers about the impor-
tance of reading story books
closely.
On the first Saturday of each
month, she conducts "Susan

Shevitz Reads Her Favorites."
Just as in a musical concert, she
likes to mix classics with new ti-
tles.
"I don't spend a lot of time
practicing on the flute," said Ms.
Shevitz, who was a substitute li-
brarian at the West Bloomfield
and Bloomfield Township pub-
lic libraries before accepting her
position at Borders.
"If there's a concert coming up
or I'm going to play at temple,
then I'll practice.
"My daughter was just in the
affirmation class at Kol Ami, and
the affirmation was on June 3.
My husband sang in the choir,
and I played the flute accompa-
nied by a pianist from the tem-
ple. I really appreciated it as a
family experience." ❑

e The BBSO concert starts
at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July
20, at Birmingham's Shain
Park. The concert is free, and
there are no tickets required.

