For Love of Strings

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For Love of Strings

Cremona House owner Miguel Gutierrez celebrates the opening of his stringed instrument store July 13 with the Harlingen Chamber of Commerce,
Cremona House owner Miguel Gutierrez celebrates the opening of his stringed instrument store July 13 with the Harlingen Chamber of Commerce,

New store offers stringed instruments, lessons

A Valley Symphony Orchestra viola player has opened a new business in Harlingen to share his love of stringed instruments. The Harlingen Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening on July 13 for Cremona House, the venture started by 29-year-old Miguel Gutierrez.

The name comes from the Italian city in the Lombardy region known for its tradition of violin-making.

Cremona House offers individual lessons from beginner to advanced in both violin and viola under the tutelage of Gutierrez, as well as cello lessons taught by Adan Garcia. Lessons are available in 30-, 45- or 60-minute sessions, with tuition dependent on plans. Rates start at $100 a month, or $25 a lesson.

Gutierrez is a seven-season member of the Valley Symphony Orchestra . He has also performed with the Kingsville Symphony Orchestra, the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Symphony Orchestra, as well as UTGRV’s Mariachi Aztlan.

In addition, Garcia is a junior at UTRGV working on his degree in music education. His musical performance experience includes numerous ensembles. He was also a featured soloist for the annual Valley Symphony Orchestra Gala in 2017.

Cremona House also offers a wide range of supplies and accessories for stringed instruments.

Gutierrez says there has been a growing interest in stringed instruments and classical music in the McAllen area. Yet, that interest has been slow to spread in other parts of the Valley. He chose to open in Harlingen in order to share his love of music with students in the lower Valley.

Gutierrez’s goal is to “provide a healthy learning environment in which students of all ages can understand the technical and artistic skills of their applied instrument.”

Cremona House, located at 1219 E. Harrison Street, is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., or by appointment.

George Cox is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years experience as a newspaper writer and editor. A Corpus Christi native, he started his career as a reporter for The Brownsville Herald after graduating from Sam Houston State University with a degree in journalism. He later worked on newspapers in Laredo and Corpus Christi as well as northern California. George returned to the Valley in 1996 as editor of The Brownsville Herald and in 2001 moved to Harlingen as editor of the Valley Morning Star. He also held the position of editor and general manager for the Coastal Current, a weekly entertainment magazine with Valleywide distribution. George retired from full-time journalism in 2015 to work as a freelance writer and legal document editor. He continues to live in Harlingen where he and his wife Katherine co-founded Rio Grande Valley Therapy Pets, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of the benefits of therapy pets and assisting people and their pets to become registered therapy pet teams.

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