Founder & Directors

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 Phyllis Garriss  was the founding director of the Lamar Stringfield Music Camp. She started the camp in 1979. Garriss felt strongly that music in the Wake County schools should be given full support by the community and wanted to work with the school teachers to build on the progress made in their school-year programs. This is still a primary mission of LSMC, whose faculty has included National and International clinicians, University professors, Wake County music educators, professional musicians and members of the North Carolina  Symphony. The camp also provides scholarships every summer to those in need. 

Garriss taught at Meredith College, DePauw University and Ball State University. She served as a National Secretary of the American String Teachers Association, as a member of  the Music Educators National Conference, the Music Teachers National Association, the  American String Teachers Association, Local 500 of the Musicians Association, and past president of the Raleigh Music Club. She performed with the Duke Symphony, Raleigh Symphony Orchestra  and the Capital String Ensemble.

 Margaret Garriss  is a professional violinist, teacher and freelance musician who enjoys teaching  both traditional and Suzuki students in private and group settings. While a student, Margaret  was a scholarship recipient for the Paul Rolland International String Workshop held in Salzburg,  Austria, and the Agnes Cooper Memorial Award from Meredith College. She was also selected  as Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and was chosen as a  member of The Outstanding Young Women of America. Garriss holds professional memberships  with the American String Teacher’s Association, The Musician’s Association Local 500, The  Music Teachers National Association, Music Educators National Conference, The Suzuki  Association of the Americas, The Raleigh Music Club, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Pi Kappa Lambda.  Since 1982, Garriss has served as an Associate Director, and eventually Executive Director for  the Lamar Stringfield Music Camp held annually in Raleigh. In 2018 she started the Lamar  Stringfield Music Institute, the nonprofit organization which sponsors the camp. She is also a certified nonpracticing member of the Feldenkrais Method and she traveled internationally for two years as  a musical missionary with the Celebrant Singers organization based in California.