ESYO students always get world-class instruction, and lately they have been treated to extra special guest artists lending their advice and experience.

On Oct 22, the Thalea String Quartet gave a workshop in the Addy Orchestra Room at Proctors. Winners of the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the members of the Thalea String Quartet have been celebrated for their innovative approach to education and community engagement. These incredible musicians gave an interactive workshop on expressive movement for ensemble connections followed by a chamber music masterclass.

Participants learned how to incorporate meaningful gestures and motions into their own music making during the workshop and then watched two ESYO quartets perform and received coaching from these acclaimed artists.This MusicNOW workshop was free and open to all ESYO students, families and friends.

ESYO welcomed Gabriel Prokofiev on Wednesday, October 26 to the CHIME class at Proctors. Prokofiev is a composer, producer, DJ and Artistic Director of the Nonclassical record label and nightclub. Among many other works, he composed two Concertos for Turntables and Orchestra, one for Bass Drum and orchestra, and a remix of Beethoven's 9th Symphony for orchestra and electronics. And in case you wondered: Gabriel is the grandson of legendary composer Sergej Prokofiev (think "Peter and the Wolf”).

“There’s all these different sounds,” he explained to the CHIME class. “Some of the sounds are done with keyboards, but some of the sounds are sound effects that I’ve recorded with a microphone.” Prokofiev played an example of this in one of his pieces where he recorded the sound of plucking a piece of string, stirring broken glass, and simply rubbing his hands together. “You don’t have to use just violins or keyboards to make music. You can use any sound you like.” Read more about Prokofiev’s visit here.

Composer Adrian Gordon joined CHIME virtually on Nov 2 to lend an ear to the students. Adrian Gordon is an active performer, composer, and music educator living in Charlotte, NC. His colorful compositions are captivating for musicians of all ages from very easy to advanced levels.  Gordon currently serves as the orchestra director at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC. CHIME Proctors recently performed his piece “A Hero’s Journey” during their open house concert.

“Wow! So much fun working with the ESYO,” said Gordon in a tweet. “What a receptive and talented group of students!”

Gordon will be a regular visitor to CHIME in the new year. Stay tuned for more!