MAKING MUSIC
Ensemble group teaches Maple Avenue school students
WILTON >> Bassoonist Remy Taghavi is furthering his own career by sharing valuable lessons with the next generation of young musicians.
More than 150 orchestra and band students at Maple Avenue Middle School listened, watch and asked questions Friday during a program streamed lived on ABC Digital.
Taghavi and other postgraduate classical musicians are enrolled in twoyear Carnegie Hall fellowship program called Ensemble Connect, which includes a week-long residency at Skidmore College. They’ve also visited other sites including Schuylerville Elementary School, Saratoga Bridges and Woodbury Commons.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean we want to become music teachers,” said Taghavi, who studied at The Juilliard School. “It helps us as performers to be able to engage the community in a more effective way.”
ABC is tracking Taghavi, bassist Lizzie Burns and percussionist Brandon Ilaw for a “day-in-the-life” type of documentary that might air next year on a network show such as 20/20 or Nightline. A cameraman is capturing them in a variety of settings — rehearsals, concerts and teaching sessions, including Friday’s event at Maple Avenue Middle School.
The project is in conjunction with Ensemble Connect’s 10th anniversary. The program is based in New York where musicians partner with a New York City public school for the duration of their two-year fellowship.
Skidmore hosts weeklong residencies twice per year in October and February.
This week’s residency concluded with a Friday night performance at Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Theatre. In addition to community outreach, musicians were busy on campus this week.
Evenings were spent with Skidmore students and faculty, sharing insights through musicology discussions, performance coaching and similar activities.
The fellowship program has 15 other musicians in addition to the ones ABC is featuring.
“I was super-impressed with the kids’ questions,” said Nicolee Kuester, who plays the French horn.
During Friday’s exercise, musicians played a melody and asked students what type of character, setting and mood the music made them think of.
“It sounds like something that was lurking in a swamp,” one girl said.
“Mysterious,” another student said.
Ensemble members explained how tempo and the range of notes, both high and low, also evoke certain images.
Following is a link to Friday’s live stream: http:// abclive.abcnews.com/i/ abc_live08@318690/master.m3u8?b=400,5002500#preview-http://abclive.abcnews.com/i/ abc_preview08@336067/ master.m3u8?mediaName= 39180446%7CLIVE_SPECIAL_EVENT_8%7Csec_ live%7Ccoming-up-carnegie-halls-ensemble-connect-fellows-perform-insaratoga-springs-ny