The department of music provided an interactive master class to its students as well as musicians from the community in an effort to further musical development. The sponsored open rehearsal of the nationally acclaimed Escher String Quartet took place Wednesday at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts.
The event began with 40 minutes of open rehearsal, when students viewed the members of the quartet work through problems that arose during their rehearsal of selections from Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The open rehearsal offered a firsthand look into the issues frequently encountered by the members of the quartet.
The open rehearsal led to a Q&A session and then a master class of the selected work from early Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn in the second portion of the event. Two members of the quartet worked directly with string students and offered them advice. The other two members of the quartet began a second master class for the flute students.
The Escher String Quartet said they felt closer to audiences when working directly with them.
“We remember clearly how invaluable master classes and open rehearsals with professional ensembles were to us, so we hope to be able to pass that along to current students as well,” the Escher String Quartet said in a statement.
Hosting the Escher String Quartet is part of a chain of events sponsored by the department of music aimed to increase the musical development of not only student musicians, but musicians throughout the Richmond community who have been invited to attend along with students.
Susanna Klein, assistant professor of violin and string area coordinator, envisioned working with the community and providing higher levels of exemplified instruction when she began working with the department of music’s string studio.
“Most musicians are interested in furthering their development on some level,” Klein said. “Whether they’re teachers, students (or) just musicians, it’s sort of lifelong learning.”
In addition to advancing the development of students and the community, Klein said she hoped to extend the required completion of recertification credits for music teachers at VCU to include participation in the open rehearsals. The open rehearsals would be worth a certain number of credits for music teachers needing recertification every five years.
These rehearsals will allow students to watch the inner workings of the quartet and interact with high caliber artists, Klein said. Viewers will analyze the ways in which the quartet members interact with one another and how decisions are made.
The Escher String Quartet will be performing at the annual Richmond Festival of Music on April 23 and April 24 at 8 p.m. Individual Festival Concert Tickets are $10 for students, $25 for adults and $20 for seniors. It will be held at Bon Air Presbyterian Church located at 9201 W. Huguenot Road. More information can be obtained by calling 519-2098.