The VCUarts Department of Music regularly hosts workshops, camps and other programs for middle- and high-school students and their families.
Programs happen year-round and include offerings for winds, brass, percussion, voice, piano, strings and more! Select from the menu to learn more about each program.
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FEBRUARY 12, 2023 SUNDAY 10am-12:30 ON ZOOM
Register here
Cost $40 per participant ($50 after February 1)
This workshop for violin, viola, cello, bass helps high school string players prepare for the Virginia All-State audition. Guided by VCU String faculty, participants will hone their skills and build their confidence.
In this online workshop, you will hear us, the faculty, but we won’t hear you as we will keep you muted (unless you are asking a question). You’ll get tips on how to work on the trickiest of spots in your audition material with faculty on your instrument. Workshops on scale readiness and stagefright round out the workshop to allow you to be your best in the All-State Audition.
Schedule of Activities:
10:00-10:25am Scale Blitz
10:30-11:15am Etude Workshop
– break –
11:20am-12:05pm Orchestra excerpt session
12:05-12:30pm Performance Training & Technology Tools for the home stretch
Workshop includes handouts to keep and instruction over zoom. Looking for music? Audition materials for All-State Orchestra can be found at the VBODA.org website.
Faculty:
Violin: Susanna Klein, Meredith Riley
Viola: Molly Sharp, Stephen Schmidt
Cello: Dana McComb, Jason McComb
Bass: Andrew Sommer
VCUarts Music faculty members are professional musicians who currently perform with the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, Classical Revolution and more. They have countless years of experience playing in professional orchestras and preparing successfully for auditions. Read more about our amazing professional faculty here.
All cello, all day! Stretch your playing and musicianship with a diverse offering of workshops in technique and creativity with like-minded community cellists. All participants will perform in a cello ensemble concert! Cellopalooza is an ideal experience for cellists age 12 to 99*, both students and teachers.
The Amazing Cellopalooza Faculty for 2023 is:
Emmanual Feldman is this year’s special guest artist.
Registration fee $75 (Early Bird, before January 2) or $90 (after Jan 2)
Registration covers all workshops, rehearsals, T-shirt, boxed lunch.
You can register for Cellopalooza here!
Master Class Audition Fee $20 (Deadline Jan 7)
Cellists interested in playing as a soloist for the Young Artist Masterclass with Mr. Feldman must register an audition by January 7th and pay the audition fee. This is a separate transaction from the cellopalooza main ticket. We will send a google form to all those who purchased an audition, asking for their youtube link by January 8th.
If you want to register to audition for the Master Class, you can do so here!
Details:
- We are expecting between 60 and 90 cellists
- Time Frame: 9:00am to 5:15pm
- Boxed lunch ( supplied by VCU and included)
- Cellopalooza T-shirt
Workshops Topics (exact schedule will be published later)
- Practice Strategies for left hand/Sectionals
- Right Hand Technique/Sectional
- Young Artist Masterclass with Emmanuel Feldman
- Emmanuel Feldman mini-recital
- Teacher Roundtable / The Heart Rate in Performance
- Cello Choir Rehearsal & Concert
More Important Details – Please Read:
* Students younger than 12 must be accompanied by their parents or a teacher/guardian
**Cellists will be assigned a cello ensemble part based on their experience. Cello teachers may join any cello choir section. Link to Cellopalooza Ensemble Music will be made available 2 weeks prior to the event via email.
*** Lunch and a T-shirt will be guaranteed for all who register by Friday January 13, 2023. If registering after that date (or walk up), please plan to bring lunch!
**** Final schedule for the day, parking info and directions will be email the week of the event
History of Cellopalooza
Cellopalooza has been running for more than a decade!
Previous special guest artists have been:
Cellopalooza I: Bonnie Hampton, Juilliard
Cellopalooza II: Peter Wispelwey, International Artist
Cellopalooza III: Zuill Bailey, International Artist
Cellopalooza IV: Joel Krosnick, Juilliard Quartet
Cellopalooza V: Clive Greensmith, Tokyo Quartet
Cellopalooza VI: Alisa Weilerstein
Cellopalooza VII: Irene Sharp
Cellopalooza VIII: Paul Watkins
Cellopalooza IX: Sharon Robinson
To be added to our Strings mailing list, please click here.
Questions about Cellopalooza? Contact Dana McComb: dmmccomb@vcu.edu
Emmanuel Feldman Bio:
Hailed by John Williams as “an outstanding cellist and truly dedicated artist,” Emmanuel Feldman has commissioned over 60 works by composers such as Harbison, Schuller and Kernis. Described by Gramophone as “an artist who combines communicative urgency with tonal splendor,” Feldman’s recent release Our American Roots (Delos) includes the rarely heard George Walker sonata.
Feldman has performed in the U.S. and internationally as a soloist, chamber musician and composer. An enthusiastic collaborator, he has partnered in a wide range of creative projects with Bobby McFerrin, the Mark Morris Dance Group, and Verona String Quartet. Awarded grants from the Argosy and Thomson Foundations, Feldman released two world premiere recordings, one of which earned a Grammy nomination for producer Blanton Alspaugh.
Feldman’s recital credits include performances at Carnegie Hall, Salle Gaveau Paris, and Franz Liszt Academy in Hungary. As a concerto soloist, Mr. Feldman has performed with the Boston Pops, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Greensboro Festival Orchestra, and Boston Philharmonic. He has also performed with Gilbert Kalish, Elmar Oliveira and Paul Neubauer, in chamber music with the Jupiter and Borromeo String Quartets and as an orchestral player with the Boston Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestras.
Feldman’s own compositions have been heard at venues including the Granoff Music Center, Jordan Hall, and Brown University. His “Enigma #1” written for Duo Cello e Basso was performed on the Boston Celebrity Series to critical acclaim by the Boston Globe. His recent arrangements include works by Debussy for cello and orchestra and Gershwin’s Three Preludes and short pieces from “Porgy and Bess” for cello and piano that can be heard on the Delos label.
With over a dozen CD’s to his credit, his critically acclaimed recordings and performances have featured music by American composers including Steve Mackey, Richard Danielpour and David Diamond. His “Rider on The Plains” CD featuring Virgil Thomson’s Cello Concerto was described as “sounding exhilarating in this bracing and confident performance” (N.Y. Times).
A sought after educator and clinician, Feldman’s cello students have gone on to be accepted to most major music schools and conservatories in the U.S. and abroad and have won competitions including the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition and prizes at the Brahms International Competitions, Irving Kline, and Stulberg Competitions.
A skilled luthier, he is the inventor of the innovative TekPin™ cello endpin. Currently, he is a faculty member at Tufts University. He also teaches at the International Cello Institute, VCU Global Summer Institute of Music, and Heifetz International Music Institute.
Born in New York City to a large musical family, Feldman first studied the violin, piano, and French horn and then chose the cello at age 12, later studying at the Curtis Institute of Music. His teachers include Orlando Cole, David Finckel, Bernard Greenhouse, Amy Camus, and Jonathan Miller.
The VCU Choral Classic is an invitational event for high school choirs to attend.
Each fall choirs from across the state attend a half-day vocal workshop with our voice faculty followed by tours of campus, rehearsals in the concert hall, dinner at Shafer Dining Hall and culminating with Gala Concert featuring each of the guest choirs and the VCU Commonwealth Singers.
For more information, please contact Dr. Christopher Hansen.
VCU DOUBLE BASS WORKSHOP
SUNDAY JANUARY 22, 2023
9:30am to 1pm
It’s all about bass at VCU’s double bass workshop with Richmond Symphony Principal Bass Prof. Sommer and special guest Longy School of Music Prof. Delache-Feldman. Stretch your playing through technique workshops and Double Bass Ensemble.
The Double Bass Workshop is for Middle School and High School Bassists.
Double Bass Teachers may also join us for the Double Bass Workshop!
Read more about our Amazing Double Bass Faculty:
Registration fee: $35 (Early Bird, before January 2) or $45 (after Jan 2, including walk-up)
Registration covers all workshops and a snack
REGISTER HERE.
Workshop Details
- Bass Ensemble Rehearsal
- The Artistry of Sound Production (Pr. Sommer)
- Faculty Recital
- Snack/break
- Effortless Shifting
- Bass Ensemble Rehearsal
- Bass Ensemble Concert (open to the public)
More Important Details – Please Read:
*Bassists will be assigned a bass ensemble part based on their experience, which we ask about in the registration questions. Bass teachers may join any ensemble section. Link to Bass Ensemble Music will be made available 2 weeks prior to the event via email, and we will have all parts on hand.
**Bassist must bring their own stools if they use them, but we supply music stands
*** Parking info, directions, and details will be emailed the week of the event
To be added to our Strings mailing list, please click here.
Questions about Double Bass Workshop? Contact Susanna Klein: sbklein@vcu.edu
Andrew Sommer Bio
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, double bassist Andrew Sommer was appointed principal of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in 2019. He has been a substitute for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, including on their 2014 tour to Carnegie Hall, and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Sommer received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Albert Laszlo. During his time in New York, he was actively involved in the freelance scene, and performed frequently in the tri-state area. Mr. Sommer has been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School, performing with the Aspen Chamber Symphony. He also spent three summers as a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Verbier, Switzerland. In the summers of 2018 and 2019, he was a member of the chamber orchestra, Taiwan Connection. With this group, Mr. Sommer toured and performed in all the major cities in Taiwan, as well as recorded an album including Brahms Symphony no. 2.
Mr. Sommer grew up in a musical family. His mom, Phyllis, is a singer and choral teacher, and his sister, Grace, is a cellist. His father was the great bassist and teacher Douglas Sommer, who was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for 25 years. Andrew credits his father, who sadly passed away in 2014, as his bass hero.
In addition to his orchestral work, Mr. Sommer is equally at home playing jazz and other styles of music. He performed at the 2013 Grammys with the Grammy Jazz Combo alongside Latino superstar Juanes. Mr. Sommer’s jazz teachers and mentors include Joseph Patrick Moore, Sam Skelton, Kevin Bales, and John Patitucci. Other bass mentors include Harold Robinson, Leigh Mesh, Lawrence Wolfe, and the entire Atlanta Symphony Orchestra bass section.
Mr. Sommer started playing cello at age seven, studying with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra cellist Joel Dallow, who he still considers a mentor. In middle school, Andrew started to play electric bass and then the double bass, all under the guidance of his father.
Mr. Sommer plays on his father’s bass, an Enrico Bajoni made in Italy circa 1875.
Pascale Delache-Feldman Bio
Described by the Boston Phoenix as “ a gifted colorist ….who produced an entire range of orchestral effects”, French double bassist Pascale Delache-Feldman has also been praised for her “technical certainty and musical imagination” (New Music Connoisseur). As a chamber musician, Ms. Delache-Feldman has collaborated with violinists Midori, Joel Smirnoff, soprano Dawn Upshaw, and the St. Petersburg, Borromeo, Lark String Quartets. As a member of Duo Cello e Basso, Pascale has partnered with cellist Emmanuel Feldman to premier over 20 new works, performing across Europe and through out the US. She can be heard on Albany, Archetype and CRI labels and is featured on Jason Heath’s podcast Contrabass Conversations.
A committed educator and arts entrepreneur, Ms. Delache-Feldman founded and directs the Family Chamber Music Fest — Online Edition as well as the Boston Bass Bash and the Virtual Double Bass Summer Intensive, both international festivals that have drawn guest faculty performers Edwin Barker, Peter Lloyd, Tim Cobb, John Clayton and Rufus Reid. Ms. Delache-Feldman has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony and Toulouse Capitole National Orchestra (France), among others and has played with distinguished conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado and Sir Simon Rattle.
Through her training with peak performance coach Dr. Don Greene, her Feldenkrais Method and Tai Chi studies, Pascale brings a wealth of perspective to her teaching. She’s on the faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and Tufts University, and has presented master classes at Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory and the University of Texas.
A second-generation bassist, Pascale studied with her father, Jean-Claude Delache, went on to the Paris National Superior Conservatory and in the US at the Curtis Institute of Music. Her teachers included Jacques Cazauran, Frédéric Stochl and Roger Scott.
“… a jazz ensemble comprised of some of the very best high school jazz musicians
from our metropolitan area. The VCU Greater Richmond High School Jazz Band has
always given outstanding performances and serves as the best ambassadors for this
event that I could imagine.” -“The Titan Jazz & Art Festival: A Model for Others, Part I” by Brian Rollins JAZZed, Vol. 11, No. 6.
“[The] Greater Richmond High School Jazz Band swings and sways with its usual
brilliance.” –“And the Award Goes To…” Richmond Magazine
About GRHSJB
The Greater Richmond High School Jazz Band is made up of some of the most talented
high school jazz students from the region. Alumni of this ensemble have gone on to
major in music at such programs as VCU, Temple, Miami, The New School, Berklee,
and at other institutions throughout the U.S.
Each year the group is selected through auditions that are held in January. Rehearsals
are held on Sundays from 2-4 p.m. during the spring semester, culminating with two
concerts, one held at Trinity Episcopal School on April 22, 2023, and the second at
VCU’s Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall on May 6, 2023.
Auditions will take place January 9th and 10th, 2023 at VCU’s James W. Black Music
Center (Room 1003), 1015 Grove Avenue, Richmond, VA. Rehearsals will be held on
Sundays starting January 22, 2023 from 2-4 p.m.
STEP 1: Fill out the GRHSJB application form .
STEP 2: Toby Whitaker will contact you with available audition times and consent forms.
Contact Toby Whitaker (etwhitaker@vcu.edu) with any questions.
A non-refundable fee of $225 will be due by the first rehearsal.
Preparing for your Audition
Entry audition content is typically as follows. VCU Jazz faculty usually accompany
auditionees as needed; we welcome an extra copy of your sheet music. Backing tracks
are allowed.
Horns: Unaccompanied performance of the melodies and, if possible, improvised
solos over two tunes of your choice, especially swing, bossa, Afro-Cuban and samba.
Potential accompanied improvised solo over a tune of your or the jurors’ choice.
Possible basic scales to assess range, tone and/or technique.
Piano: Performance of a melody and accompaniment and, if possible, improvised
solo over two tunes of your choice, especially swing, bossa, Afro-Cuban and samba.
Possible basic scales to assess range, tone, and/or technique. Potential comping of a
variety of styles on request, especially swing, bossa and samba.
Guitar and bass: Performance of a melody and, if possible, improvised solo over
two tunes of your choice, especially swing, bossa, Afro-Cuban and samba. Potential
accompanied improvised solo over a tune of your or the jurors’ choice. Possible basic
scales to assess range, tone and/or technique. Potential comping of a variety of styles
on request, especially swing, bossa, Afro-Cuban and samba. VCU will supply guitar and
bass amps; guitarists are required to bring their own quarter-inch cords. Bassists will
audition acoustically.
Drums: Unaccompanied performance of a variety of styles on request, including
swing, ballad, waltz, bossa, samba and Afro-Cuban, plus possibly trading fours.
Drummers are required to bring their own cymbals, hi-hat clutch, sticks and brushes.
All: Sight reading as provided by the jurors.
Sample tunes might include:
- Swing: “Autumn Leaves,” “Satin Doll,” “Now’s the Time,” “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Stella by Starlight”
- Bossa: “Blue Bossa,” “Recorda-Me,” “Meditation,” Wave” and “Black Orpheus”
- Samba: Samba versions of the bossas above are acceptable.
- Afro-Cuban: “Mambo Inn” (2-3 clave), “Afro-Blue” (12/8), “Frenesí” (cha-cha),
“Como Fue” (cha-cha) and “A Night in Tunisia” (possible in a variety of settings) - Ballad: “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Body and Soul,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and “Misty”
- Waltz: “Up Jumped Spring,” “Someday My Prince Will Come,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “All Blues” and “Bluesette”
You are not limited to the above choices; these are merely examples. Please note that
improvisation is not a requirement to join this ensemble; however, we are delighted to
hear all levels of improv within your audition.
GRYWE Updated Promo Video from VCUarts Music on Vimeo.
Richmond’s Bands began in 1995 with the founding of the Greater Richmond Youth Wind Ensemble (GRYWE) for advanced high school musicians. The following year, the Richmond Honors Band was created as an opportunity for advanced middle school and young high school students and in response to popular demand, the Greater Richmond High School Jazz Band was added the following year.
The Richmond’s Bands program is a valuable addition to Richmond’s vibrant instrumental community, offering aspects of a district or all-state band experience within a long-term rehearsal environment.
The program has given Richmond-area students the opportunity to work with some of the finest conductors and teachers in the U.S. Guest conductors for GRYWE have included composer Timothy Mahr, retired United States Marine Band Director Colonel John Bourgeois, band clinician and author Ed Lisk and internationally renowned conductor David Whitwell. Students from Richmond’s Bands have gone on to study in some of the finest music schools in the country.
Connect with GRYWE on Facebook!
STEP ONE:
After you’ve completed your application, you will receive additional instructions via email about scheduling an audition slot.
Auditions will take place January 19th and 26th from 4:30-6:30pm at the Singleton Center for Performing Arts (922 Park Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23284). Auditions will be five minutes in length.
Students will be asked to perform a prepared piece of their choice. It is recommended that students perform their district etude if possible. Students should also be prepared to play scales and sight-read a short excerpt. Percussionists are only required to audition on one instrument but strong consideration will be given to those who demonstrate proficiency on snare, mallets and timpani. Percussionists must bring their own sticks, mallets, cymbals and clutch; percussion instruments will be provided by VCU.
For more information on GRYWE, contact Duane Coston at costonpd@vcu.edu.
The 27th Annual VCU Jazz Day is back and in person! This free event is open to intermediate-to-advanced high school jazz musicians, by nomination from their teacher. Selected students will have demonstrated a strong desire and ability to pursue the craft of jazz improvisation and may be considering continuing that pursuit at the college or professional level.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
VCU James Black Music Center
1015 Grove Ave.
Richmond, Virginia 23284
VCU Jazz Day includes:
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Improvisation workshops
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VCU student and faculty jazz performances,
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Master classes for individual instruments
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Most importantly, participants will play in VCU faculty-coached combos with other motivated and experienced high school jazz musicians from across the state.
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Free lunch provided.
Seven of our VCU faculty members will offer instruction, including:
Taylor Barnett, trumpet; Toby Whitaker, trombone; J.C. Kuhl, saxophone; Wells Hanley, piano; Trey Pollard, guitar; Eric Wheeler, bass; Tony Martucci, drum set
Horn players must bring instruments. Guitarists and bassists must bring their own cords and amps. Drummers must bring their own cymbals, sticks, brushes, and hi-hat clutch. Drum sets will be provided.
Teachers of interested students should nominate them by emailing Prof. Taylor Barnett at barnettt@vcu.edu by January 6, 2023, or sooner!
Nominated students who accept our invitation to Jazz Day must complete, sign, and return the downloadable VCU Jazz Day 2023 Registration/Consent Form to Dr. Taylor Barnett at barnettt@vcu.edu with the signature of a parent or guardian.
Note that January 28 is also a VCU Music Audition date. Students can participate in Jazz Day and audition for entry into the Fall 2023 class. Notify us at apply4music@vcu.edu if you plan to do both!
VCU Middle School Summer Band Camp.
June 19-22, 2023 on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Description: Middle school students will play in a large ensemble group, attend workshops, experience team building and meet new friends! Students will work directly with VCU Music Department faculty & students.
Topics will include: Tone Production, Technique, Music Theory, Rhythmic Awareness, Equipment, Reed Care, and More!
The camp will end with a group performance in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall located in the Singleton Center for Performing Arts.
To register use this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJZ6cQYdl79WVjTqqHwgApOcRB2MYwgFkQa45mB2RsFivkNQ/viewform