On behalf of the Friends of Chamber Music of Reading (FOCM), I want to thank you and provide a recap of your hosting the Aeolus Quartet’s outreach presentation to your 30 middle and high school orchestra students who sat with rapt attention to the lively and upbeat presentation.

First violinist, Isabelle Durrenberger asked a question to the audience to gauge their knowledge of the art form of chamber music.  Music students including string players studying violin, viola, cello, bass and even guitar responded positively and became immediately engaged for what was to come.  She asked them to consider the question of what is unusual about this piece before she and her colleagues launched into the beginning movement of Quartet No. 3 by Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz, written shortly after the end of WWII and the beginning of the Space Age.  Rhythmic, driving sounds of a working machine were first brought to mind and the audience also described hearing “western and folk melody tunes”, aggressive and mysterious and even seductive sounding passages, and some reminiscence of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony!

Isabelle described her discovery of this piece on YouTube, becoming entranced by its momentum among other features and knew Aeolus should bring it to the public’s attention and added it to their varied repertoire. 

Second violinist, Rachel Shapiro posed a question regarding the difference between chamber music and orchestral music making to which the audience noticed each musician on stage playing its own part  so “therefore, complete accountability for the individual musician” Rachel exclaimed, indicating the required responsibility, attention and dedication to both music and colleagues in the ensemble.  Also noted was the absence of a conductor in a chamber music ensemble.

Momentum of a different type from the Bacewicz piece, velocity and rhythm were elements to listen for in a short excerpt from Mozart Quartet in D minor, Op. 10, No. 2, K. 421, eliciting comments of “lots of movement” while Ari Evan, the cellist commented on the witty fun Mozart always enjoyed, in this instance by changing the “emphasis” on simple rhythms in a clever noticeable way. When instructed to imagine scenes while listening to the theme and variations of the 4th movement, students described a “huge journey” and some heard “sounds of a fanfare”.

Returning to the III. Vivo movement of Bacewicz’s Quartet No. 3, with its momentum and velocity, violist Caitlin Lynch asked the audience to imagine as she would also do while performing ….. is this the motion of hang-gliding or driving a fast car?  Feelings the music conjured were “…like you’re on a roller coaster, or caught up in a chase of various sorts, or Quiddich swooping, both frantic, nimble and fleet”.  There were no wrong answers and all enjoyed hearing each other’s imaginative descriptions!  Speaking on the music’s varied moods, Caitlin alluded to the composer’s life experiencing WWII German occupied Warsaw and the horrors of WWII, to life in lively Paris, her life experiences inspiring her “travelogue” composition, the journey emotionally growing from chaos to joy.

Ample time was purposely allotted for a question and answer session, the questions both serious and hilarious – and all were entertained in every sense of the word!  Musicians eagerly responded to questions: “What other instruments do you play?” Isabelle – violin, piano; Rachel – “as of late, bass drum, triangle, finger cymbals, violin with two strings” heard in Aeolus’ recent performance of Steve Mackey’s composition, “Memoir”; Caitlin – piano, percussion, voice.  When asked, Ari decided his favorite animal was the dog, despite the meaning of his Hebrew name, lion.  Other music the musicians also enjoy include: Ari – jazz, funk, Snarky Puppy, Pink Floyd, Queen, classic rock, Eastern Asian music; Caitlin – jazz, rock and country, influenced by her cowboy father; Rachel – music of all kinds and unique performance opportunities with stars such as Billie Eilish, and not Taylor Swift who was a fellow student at Wyomissing HS; Isabelle – K-Pop, music from Coachella, the Beatles and various other genres.  Isabelle expressed her appreciation for the special opportunity to perform alongside her revered, illustrious violin teacher, Donald Weilerstein, guest artist on viola in tonight’s Aeolus Quartet performance at the WCR.    

An astute student volunteered her experience enjoying the musicians’ obvious camaraderie and listening to their performance as, “looking at emotion – watching facial expression and body language – just as if they  were talking”, a grand and accurate summary of the special, intimate quality of chamber music and a confirmation that the Aeolus Quartet had truly connected with their audience! 

Thank you again, Angela, for nurturing and encouraging fine, respectful music students in their studies and all your efforts to ensure a worthwhile outreach presentation at Hamburg Area High School!

Sincerely,

Ellen Kitagawa Shapiro, Outreach Committee member, FOCM 

The post Hamburg Area High School Outreach with Aeolus Quartet first appeared on Friends of Chamber Music Reading.

Thank you so much for working with us to host an outreach program given by Curtis On Tour on Friday afternoon, 10-31-2025, at Fleetwood High School.

The audience of music students, grades 9 – 12, participating in orchestra, band and chorus numbered approximately 80 members.  Their attention was immediately engaged when the performers, Lynn Ye, pianist, Tzu-Yi Yu, clarinetist, and Juliette Tacchino, soprano began their program with questions to their audience.

The questions of “how many are pianists?” and even “how many have considered a profession as a pianist?” set the stage for an hour of sharing music with understanding and intrigued students of music.  Juliette, a recent graduate of Curtis and now a professional soprano, added a special layer of sparkle to the ensemble.

Juliette described highlights of Franz Schubert’s “The Shepherd on the Rock”, saying its prose came from 2 poets who musically depicted the human emotions of loneliness, sadness and hope.  The combination of clarinet, piano and soprano was an unusual one for Schubert, but all parts were used effectively.  We were inspired to listen for the shepherd (soprano) singing a lonely song into a valley and hearing its echo (clarinet); then to imagine the shepherd’s sadness as tears flowing into the river carrying it away; and finally hearing the uplift of hope of the shepherd anticipating the return of springtime. Juliette’s voice was heavenly, Tzu-Yi’s clarinet was soulful and lyrical and Lynn’s piano supported the lovely song so well.

The second treat was a performance of the second movement of Leonard Bernstein’s “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano”, his only sonata for wind instruments, said Tzu-Yi, before he wowed us with his sensitive, lyrical interpretation, beginning with introspection, followed by a syncopated and jazzy section, back to quiet reflection before lightheartedness returned with a jazzy, upbeat ending. 

Juliette opened her portrayal of “Whimsical Betrothal” or “engagements of love”, noting it’s a special piece for her, because of her father’s close friendship with its composer, Francis Poulenc. He was a French poet who loved playing with words and his songs of love are emotional but never heavy; instead, graceful, funny and full of life!  The first of three songs, “He Steals – (and he flees!)” – asks the question, does he steal her jewelry or her heart?  The second song,”My Corpse is as Soft as a Glove” has strange lyrics that graphically describe one’s body as an object, but resigned and at peace. The third song, “Violin” describes a loving couple.

All were sung with beauty and grace by Juliette whose body language and movements supported her convincing portrayal of the songs’ messages.

The question and answer session were enjoyed by performers and eager students alike!

A student asked, “What’s your favorite symphony? to which Tzu-Yi replied Bruckner, Juliette claimed Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Symphony, and Lynn said she admired and was fascinated by audience reactions to the music!

“How did you end up at Curtis?” elicited responses from two of the musicians who had to audition in 2022 under the constraints of the Covid epidemic.  Tzu-Yi described his round-about way to Curtis, attending a French school on the way before his “surprise” acceptance to Curtis!

“How much daily practice do you do?”  Juliette’s non-performance days include a 25 minute warm-up with 2-3 hours of practice but on concert days she saves her voice with 1 hour of practice; Lynn practices 3-4 hours per day and Tzu-Yi spends 2.5 hours of “efficient” and “focused” practice.

All perform with the Curtis Orchestra and they have to make time to connect with other artists for concerts.  Juliette has been fortunate to connect with Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Music and Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Director of the Metropolitan Opera among other titles.

“Any advice for aspiring musicians?”  Juliette answered this question with sage words, “trust yourself, listen to your body, believe in yourself, work hard, study hard, listen to your teachers, most important – choose what YOU want to do.”  And finally, “If you’ve enjoyed hearing these excerpts, come to the full length concert this evening at the WCR, where we’ll be joined by our colleague, Roberto Diaz, violist and President of The Curtis Institute of Music.”

On behalf of FOCM, thank you again for hosting our Curtis on Tour ensemble and for your part in nurturing attentive, respectful and astute students of music!

Sincerely, 

Ellen Kitagawa Shapiro

Outreach Committee, FOCM

The post Curtis On Tour visits Fleetwood Area High School first appeared on Friends of Chamber Music Reading.