It was an ordinary hike in the woods. Then, I heard violins.

by Marlene Berlin

One Saturday morning in early June, I was hiking the Western Ridge Trail in Rock Creek Park, heading north. After I crossed Grant Road, I heard what sounded like a live strings performance. I followed the music up the trail to Picnic Grove 13 near the Rock Creek Nature Center, to find a children’s violin recital. It was magical.

Eventually, I dragged myself away to continue my hike. The music faded as I walked away, but the good feelings lingered throughout the day.

The performers, I learned from a program I picked up, were from Cleveland Park Mountain Talent School. I wondered if there would be more concerts at the picnic grove or elsewhere in the park, so I called the school’s founder, Kimberly Galva. She said they only perform in the park in June. In December, her students play a holiday concert for the Friendship Heights Sunrise Senior Living Center, and there’s a spring performance at the First Baptist Church of Washington DC.

Galva, who teaches the Suzuki Method, told me she is still building her school, and that she started her DC teaching career at Levine Music. In fact, that opportunity practically fell into her lap. A series of connections introduced her to the school, and within two weeks of her move to the District in 2012, Galva interviewed for a job there. She was offered the position and is still a member of the Levine faculty.

Galva has been playing violin since she was four years old, but she initially thought she’d pursue a career in medicine. She graduated from Ohio’s Oberlin College with a degree in neuroscience. As she studied, however, she continued taking lessons. She also performed with the Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra.

After graduating, she returned to hometown Chicago to figure things out. There, she joined the Civic Orchestra, which gave Galva an opportunity to work with famous conductors. It was this experience that clinched it for her: Music was her calling.

Galva started Cleveland Park Mountain Talent School 2015. During the pandemic, she continued teaching classes and lessons via Zoom, but craved a live, in-person experience. In 2021, at the suggestion of a parent of one of her students, they held a concert at Rock Creek Park’s Picnic Grove 13. It became an annual event.

When it’s time for next year’s performance, I hope Forest Hills Connection gets a heads up. But the unexpected concert in the woods made for a magical moment.

This article has been corrected. New details include the Mountain Talent School’s other annual concerts, when Galva landed her job at Levine, and the origins of the Rock Creek Park concert.