Photo by Garrett Curtis/The Chaote News
Last Wednesday, musicians of the Choate Symphony Orchestra were greeted with new faces when they stepped onto the stage for rehearsal. These new faces were professional musicians, there to work with members of the Symphony Orchestra in smaller sectionals every Wednesday, during the typical full orchestra rehearsal slot. For the next four weeks, Dr. Matthew Russo, a brass musician from the Hartt School of Music, and Dr. Alex Casimiro, a percussionist from the University of New Haven, among others, will be joining Choate musicians to impart their years of knowledge of music; the other two sections — strings and woodwind — will be led by Mr. Gene Wie, the Instrumental Ensembles Director, and Mr. Matt McLean, the Music Program Head and director of Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble.
Mr. Wie added these additional sectional sessions with the goal of “students getting new perspectives on how their instrument functions,” he said. In addition, by inviting professional musicians specialized in each section, he hopes to focus on the individual needs of each instrument rather than the big picture that can be improved in rehearsals with the full orchestra. “It’s a chance to ask questions that can’t be answered in full orchestra because they are specialized to their particular instrument,” Mr. Wie said.
He chose this time of the school year because he already has a comprehensive idea of how each section can be improved. Furthermore, the sessions are deliberately in a range of four weeks so students will “develop a working relationship with the musicians and see what progress is being made.”
Dr. Russo said the focus of their first session was “starting together and looking at each other while we play and focusing our ears to the lead parts” with the goal of “encouraging that collaborative spirit and developing a unified brass section sound by moving and breathing together.”
He praised the Choate brass section for their receptiveness and eagerness to learn new skills. Dr. Russo has enjoyed working with the brass section. “I especially appreciate their warm welcome to me as a new member of the Choate faculty,” he said.
Juliet Ainsley ’22, a trumpet player and a member of the brass section, had a wonderful experience with Dr. Russo. She was amazed by the “bolder, brighter, and more beautiful sound,” after just a few notes from Dr. Russo. She also appreciated the opportunity for the brass section to spend the entire rehearsal focused on playing. Often, full orchestra rehearsals mean that some sections have to sit out for prolonged periods of time. Ainsley added that “the individualized attention and feedback was extremely beneficial for improving the tone of the entire brass section.”
Gavin Boudreau ’24, a clarinet player and member of the woodwind section, also appreciated the chance to play with woodwinds for the entirety of rehearsal. He said, “Due to the smaller number of people and because we generally play together, there is more of an opportunity to actually play.”
In the percussion room, Lauren Kee ’24, Stanley Cho ’25, and Sophia Kim ’24 worked with Dr. Casimiro. Kim valued the sectional and individualized attention. She said, “In the sectional practice, Lauren, Stan, and I were able to focus only on our percussion parts of the pieces and spend time practicing our parts.”
Cho echoed this sentiment as he enjoyed having a professional percussionist and thought the session was helpful in “allowing the percussionists to learn about how to play specific instruments in an effective and efficient manner.”
The Choate music faculty and the student musicians say they look forward to the next four weeks and seeing what improvements they can make with the guest teachers’ instruction.
