The Northern Neck Orchestra’s first Chamberfest, a celebration of chamber music through instruction, outreach and performance, provided a week of professional coaching and concert opportunities for six musicians who volunteer for the orchestra.
The “students,” all members of Northern Neck Orchestra, were violinists Sandra Byrd of Hayes and Arline Hinkson of Callao, flutist Deb Evans of Wicomico Church, violist Mali Hutchison of Lancaster, and cellists Rita Grinbergs of Kilmarnock and Nancy Wilson of Gloucester.
“Finding in-depth instruction by professionals can be a challenge for adult amateur musicians who want to expand their skills and have “play time” with other instrumentalists,” said Wilson. “Chamberfest coaching achieved that goal in spectacular fashion.”
The chamber music instruction in June included master classes and workshops to assist talented musicians from the area learn new music, improve their techniques and build confidence in their abilities, said Moises Cunha, Chamberfest Artistic Director and instructor, who is the Northern Neck Orchestra’s Concertmaster and Principal Violinist. The coaches also included violinist Elizabeth Cunha, violist Alex Smith, cellist Jake Fowler and flutist Chelsea Anderson.
“Chamber music differs from orchestral music by having a small number of musicians perform in an intimate venue without a conductor, so they must rely on each other for the proper tempo and phrasing of the music,” said Cunha. “It’s a trapeze act without a net.”
The week of instruction culminated in a concert performed by Chamberfest students and coaches for the residents of Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury. “The concert was wonderful reward for a lot of hard work and superb instruction,” Wilson said.
The string coaches also presented two concerts for the public in Kilmarnock, one at Grace Episcopal Church, featuring music of Haydn, Beethoven and Villa-Lobos, and the other at Good Luck Cellars, which showcased works by Bach and the Beatles.
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Kilmarnock, hosted daily instructional sessions. Grants from the Northern Neck Orchestra and the American Chamber Music Players funded the program.
“The wonderful reception success of this inaugural Chamberfest by students, coaches and concertgoers will make it an annual event,” Cunha said.