Most people at the Polish American Club in St. Petersburg thought the new fiddle player with the Sunshine Express Polka Band was good.  No, she was very good.  Naw, she was awesome.  What they didn't realize was that the string poppin’ lady with the happy, snappy bow  was the nationally renowned concert violinist, Professor Eden Vaning-Rosen.

Prior to St. Pete, she performed with the New York Philharmonia, Florida Orchestra, USC Symphony Orchestra, Itzahk Perlman, Pavarotti, Van Cliburn, Dave Brubeck, Henry Mancini, Ray Charles, Doc Severinsen, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennet, the Carpenters, Yo Yo Ma, Led Zeppelin.

“I just love Polkas,” she enthused.  “They're so lively, youthful and fun.  I think I'm addicted.  When I came home from St. Petersburg, I was so elated I wrote seven Polkas for the second edition of my books that teach anyone, young or old, to play the violin.  In fact, I think Polka music offers a whole new area for stringed orchestra groups to explore.  Classical composers, using creative arrangements, could infuse an element of sophistication into Polka music that would give the idiom an entirely new direction.  Personally, I plan to include Polka selections in my youth orchestra repertoire.  And, I plan to take them to Polka festivals so they can experience the excitement of this captivating music.”

The youth orchestra that Professor Vaning-Rosen refers to are her talented students in the popular Tampa Bay Golden Strings Youth Orchestra.  And, the gnarly title for one of her seven new Polkas is the “Zip Zap Polka”.

Needless to say, the Sunshine Express Polka Band is excited about Professor Vaning-Rosen and has contracted her to appear on their new CD to be released this fall, just in time for the arrival of the Snowbirds.

If Hollywood needs material for a blockbuster musical, I suggest they check out Polka music and Professor Eden Vaning-Rosen.   Who knows, the world could greet the millennium with a heavenly new way of dancing... of singing... and of loving.