NEWS
Chatham Orchestra Students Take A Seat with Professional String Quartet
For a day in March, a professional string quartet took up residence at Chatham High School. The Intimate Voices Quartet – as Renee Jolles and Sheila Reinhold on violins, Danielle Farina on viola, and James Wilson on cello are called – were there to share their considerable experience and expertise with Chatham orchestra students from the High School and Middle School.
The quartet sat in with the Chatham High School Orchestra during practice and worked with the students to strengthen their ensemble playing. During the workshop they demonstrated how experienced musicians use their bows to create a variety of sounds, and how an orchestra can achieve a more unified sound by taking visual cues from not only the director, but also from other musicians within the group, such as section leaders.
Following the workshop, the quartet held a performance and discussion session highlighting the far-ranging styles of music available for the strings today. String students from the High School and Middle School had a chance to listen, watch, and discuss with the quartet the works that were played, which ranged from classical chamber music to modern, unconventional compositions where the string is often plucked, struck or otherwise played without a bow.
Intimate Voices’ March 6th visit to Chatham was part of Columbia Festival Orchestra’s “Take A Seat” mentoring program, which provides music students with the opportunity to learn from and perform with professional musicians. This residency was supported by the T. Backer Fund.