Teri Einfeldt teaches at The Hartt School Community School, University of Hartford where she maintains a studio of 21 students from ages 8 to 18. In her role as adjunct professor at The Hartt School, she instructs Master of Music candidates in the Suzuki philosophy and pedagogy. Formerly the chair of strings for the past thirty five years, Einfeldt has been shaping these components into a program which is now considered a national model for teaching the Suzuki method within a university setting. In an effort to provide year-round opportunities in the greater Hartford area, in 1988 Einfeldt, along with her late husband, David Einfeldt, founded the Hartt Suzuki Institute, a weeklong summer workshop for children as well as teachers.
Born and raised in Kingston, New York, Einfeldt began her study of violin at the age of 7 in the public schools. As a child and growing musician, she enjoyed playing chamber music and participating in orchestra. While at Ithaca College, she studied violin with Thomas Michalak, and began Suzuki training with Sanford Reuning, one of a small group of educators who pioneered the Suzuki method in the United States.
A Suzuki Association of the Americas registered teacher trainer, Einfeldt is a frequent clinician at weekend string workshops and summer Suzuki Institutes throughout the United States and Canada. She has participated and presented at several international conferences of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, at the Pan Pacific Suzuki Conference in Sydney, Australia, and at the Suzuki World Conferences in Turin, Italy, and Matsumoto, Japan. She has also lectured before the Connecticut chapter of American String Teachers Association. In addition she has presented at two International Suzuki Teacher Trainer Conferences in Boston and Madrid. She was also invited to be a guest lecturer at the Juilliard School for the Starling DeLay Symposium in June 2011.
In addition to her busy teaching, training, and lecturing schedule, Einfeldt continues to be an active performer. A devoted chamber musician, she also plays frequently with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. She is the former Assistant Concertmistress of both the Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Not surprisingly, Einfeldt has designed the Hartt Suzuki program to offer ample opportunities for students to participate in the orchestra and chamber music activities that she has always loved. She delights in beginning young quartets and developing them through high school.
In Jan 2014 at the Hartt Suzuki String 25th Anniversary Celebration Concert in Lincoln Theater, long-time Hartt Community Division faculty member Teri Einfeldt was presented the Alfred C. Fuller Award. The award celebrates the memory of The Hartt School’s first principal benefactor by honoring an individual who exemplifies the Fuller spirit through sustained commitment, outstanding service, and valuable contributions to the School and its learning environment. The Fuller Award represents the highest accomplishment in citizenship.
