A Jefferson County family of musicians provided the entertainment for a local group of world travelers recently. The Johnson String Quartet performed classical string music for this year's annual meeting of Lakewood Sister Cities. Led by 23-year old Joanna on the violin, the other family members included Matthew on the viola, Timothy on the cello, and the youngest member of the group, Laura (age 14) on the violin.

The family plays professionally throughout Colorado and this year Laura Johnson was selected by Lakewood Sister Cities to participate in a student musician exchange program with England. Every year, LSC helps sponsor (along with Lakewood Rotary Club, AAUW, and the Lakewood Symphony) the exchange of a gifted Jefferson County student musician with a student musician from Chester, England for a two-week visit in each country. The Jeffco musician is given the opportunity to perform with an orchestra while in England and the Chester musician performs with the Lakewood Symphony. Her sister Joanna was the exchange musician the year before.

During the business portion of the meeting, a couple new officers were elected to serve for the next two years. Denise Newman was elected chair of Youth Program and Charlotte Stout was elected secretary for a two year term. Continuing into the second year of their terms are President Barb Martin, Treasurer Paul Scherschel and Kathy Van Liere as Chair of Other Programs.

LSC sponsors adult visitations to its sister cities of Chester and Portsmouth, England, Stade, Germany and Sutherland Shire in Australia. Jeffco members stay for ten days in the homes of sister cities members in those counties and then the following year members from the overseas sister cities come and stay with Lakewood Sister Cities members.

LSC also sponsors a student exchange with Australia in which Jeffco students can live and attend school for six months in Australia and then host an Australian student for six months as they attend a Jeffco high school. For more details about the programs of the LSC go to www.lakewoodsistercities.org. For more information about the Johnson Family String Quartet, go to www.johnsonquartet.com