Local musician joins Mannheim Steamroller for winter tour

Ever since she was eight years old, Rebecca Kia has been making music on her violin. For 20 years, Kia's violin skills have contributed to the success of Mannheim Steamroller, including eight years as the group's soloist.

“I had been in the back-up orchestra for many years when suddenly their regular soloist, Arnie Roth, had a conflict with the Omaha Christmas concert. Chip Davis asked me if I'd be willing to take his place.”
Her response was a quick “No, thank you.”
In spite of Kia's response, Davis did not dismiss the idea. He began helping her prepare for her first solo performance.
 “The first few years, I was a sub for Arnie on about two shows per year,” said Kia, who this season is traveling through 18 states performing in 45 concerts.
“Over the last three years, I've had more opportunities to tour with them because Arnie has been so busy, but I still feel like I am sharing the job with him.”
When on tour, Kia is the guest conductor of the local orchestras in each city.
By last Wednesday, Kia was on the 16th day of the tour. “Since I am the (local orchestra's ) conductor, I have already gone through the show 27 times in 16 days, with only one day off. It's definitely a working tour,” she said.
Her parents, Diana and Mansor Kia, who now live in Stanton, near where Kia lives with her three daughters, nurtured Kia's early interest in music.
“Becky began playing piano at five and violin at eight, and (she) was equally interested in both instruments through high school,” Diana Kia said, stating time constraints in college would eventually make her select one instrument. Violin won.  
Both mother and daughter agree that Rebecca's practicing and performances did not keep her from enjoying typical growing up activities. Like many youth, she was involved in Campfire Girls and her church youth activities. They both agree Rebecca's “true” passion was softball.
“I always kept up with my hobbies, particularly softball,” Kia said. “I even broke a finger at the end of my senior year in high school, but (I) still practiced left-handed piano solos.”
Though Kia rarely practices more than one hour a day now, and though she always enjoyed the instruments she played, she remembers that her parent did have to make her practice as a child.
“When I was a junior in high school, I started studying with an 88-year-old woman who rode the train from Evanston to Addison High School to teach lessons. She started really sparking my interest in the violin. She was amazing,” Kia said.
Winning a few recognitions along the way also helped Kia see the potential for becoming a professional musician.
“Another important time for me was when I was a sophomore in college and I won a position in the Quad-City Symphony. At the time, it was the Tri-City Symphony. I realized that I could make great music and get paid to do it,” she said.
Eventually Kia auditioned and won the fulltime job with Omaha Symphony. For 21 years, she has traveled to Omaha for those rehearsals, but she is quick to point out that her most important commitment is to her children.
She has three daughters, Heidi, Jody and April.
“My most important commitment is to my children. I have a job that allows me the flexibility to be home all summer, and lots of daytimes. I am 100 percent involved in my girls' lives. I love going to their games and we attend Faith Community Church (Red Oak) together. The symphony often practices in the evenings, so I have to leave home at 5:30 and I return at 10:30. Not too bad, considering it's a full-time job,” Kia said.
Part of the time the family can spend together occurs when Kia is leading the Strings Unlimited at Red Oak's Wilson Performing Arts Center. Both daughters Heidi and Jody are in that class, and so is her mother, Diana.
Her three daughters, Heidi, Jody and April, all take piano lessons from Louise Hart, a gifted pianist in Stanton.
Besides violin and piano, Heidi plays percussion. She was recently selected for the Opus choir, an all-state honor choir for the junior high level.
Jody plays piano, violin, cello and trombone and recently performed in Jungle Book at the Wilson Performing Arts Center.
April, Kia's youngest, is so far limiting her musical instruments to just piano and violin.
Kia thinks it is important to encourage children to develop their interest in music and she recommends families find a good piano teacher.
Who knows but that someday a few of those students now plunking their way through their beginner piano book, or trying to master the bow and fingerings of their violin, will discover their parents were doing them a favor to make them keep practicing. Someday they, too, like Kia, may realize they can be paid for making great music.
Kia said her priority of spending as much time with her children as she can has resulted in her not giving lessons during her family time.
“I have seven or eight private students, but only one I see on a regular basis. I teach at home. I don't have openings for students unless they are home-schooled and can come during the day, or they are adults. I have three beautiful daughters and I really don't like to teach after school because that takes time away from them,” Kia said.
She said she doesn't really have musical goals, but she knows she wants to keep enjoying life with her daughters.
“I hope I can provide them with many great experiences while they are still young. We travel every summer. I like showing them other parts of the country,” she said.
Mannheim Steamroller will be performing in Des Moines on Dec. 20 and 21, and in Omaha on Dec. 22 and 23. After the concert, Kia will be among the musicians meeting concertgoers and offering to sign the CDs that will be on sale then.
CDs are also available online at mannheimstreamroller.com.