Amelia "Amie" Roosevelt ‘80

Amelia "Amie" Roosevelt (MCS Class of 1980) has an impressive musical career with several ties to MCS' past and present.

Amie’s parents heard about MCS soon after it was founded. After visiting the school in 1969, they fell in love with the school’s philosophy and curriculum. They enrolled their first child, Phoebe, in the 4-5s. The following year they had to decide which of their twins, Nick or Amie, would attend MCS, since the 4-5s class size was too small to accommodate two children from the same family. Upon arriving for an admissions playdate, Nick engaged with the other children, participated in a block-building project, and was generally agreeable. Amie went to a corner and sat with her arms crossed facing away from the other kids. So it was decided that Nick would attend MCS.

A few years later, Amie warmed up to the idea of MCS and entered Joe Gomez’s 7-8s class. By then, the school was already a significant part of her family’s life, with both siblings already enrolled; her father, Frank, serving as a board member; and her mother, Jinx, teaching photography and occasionally substituting as a language arts teacher.

Amie had begun playing the violin at age 6 and it soon became her identity throughout elementary school. She attended Manhattan School of Music on Saturdays to have more music classes and orchestra experience. At MCS, Clint Ingram was Amie’s music and 8th grade teacher, and she looks back with admiration at his wonderful voice and his impressive vocal career during and after his time at MCS.

After Amie graduated from MCS, she attended Friends Seminary High School. She missed the social cohesion that had existed at MCS, and there were few other string players to practice and perform with. So in the eleventh grade, she transferred to Dalton, which had an orchestra and practice rooms in the basement.

She continued her music studies at Swarthmore College, while also exploring comparative religions and German literature. After college, she enrolled in grad school for violin performance, coincidentally, at Mannes College of Music, at 150 West 85th Street! She then transferred to Manhattan School of Music, where she received her masters degree, followed by a Doctorate of Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook. She also spent a year in the Netherlands studying Baroque violin, and lived in Europe for several years, performing with numerous period instrument groups and touring extensively.

When she returned to New York, Amie began her own period-instrument chamber music group called Repast Baroque Ensemble. Repast began an annual concert series at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, where it was in-residence for more than a decade. The group also performed concerts in Brooklyn.

In search of a new venue last year, Amie approached MCS, knowing from years earlier that the recital hall at Mannes had been a wonderful place to perform. MCS agreed and Repast's first program, in MCS's auditorium took place in October, 2019. The acoustics of the MCS auditorium, which was Mannes' recital hall, and Upper West Side audience were ideal for the first performance the ensemble performed, Bach’s Art of Fugue. Repast is thrilled to have a new home at MCS, and the ensemble hopes to continue to grow its audience and keep a strong connection to the school, once the school reopens.

For more information about the Repast Baroque Ensemble, please visit their website.

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Amelia "Amie" Roosevelt ‘80

Manhattan Country School