Good vibrations

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared August 19, 2004 in The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

A select group of young musicians got a taste of life as professional performers at the new Delaware Youth Orchestra camp hosted by the Wilmington Music School. The 28 campers came from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and rangedin age from 11-18.

All passed auditions to attend the rigorous one-week camp, where they played under area professionals. Included were David Amado, conductor of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra; Ovidiu Marinescu and Xiang Gao, faculty members at West Chester (Pa.) University and the University of Delaware; and members of the Delaware Symphony and Wilmington Music School.

Wearing shorts, jeans, sandals and sneakers, the participants adhered to a routine of full-orchestra rehearsals, chamber-music groups and lectures with open forums. Some never took breaks for lemonade and chips but continued to rehearse on their own.

"It’s going fabulously well," said camp coordinator Rachel Thompson. "They are making an amazing sound - even from the first day They’re working so well together.

"I think it’s a rewarding experience to be here with them," added Thompson, a music school faculty member.

Orchestra director Marinescu agreed.

"The kids are eating it up," he said as Amado led the orchestra mid-week. Amado had the young musicians play Schubert’s Sixth Symphony, taking frequent breaks to work on articulation and dynamics.

"Dynamics are important," Amado said loudly. "Please don’t be shy. Really go for it. Say the rhythm, breathe. This time, breathe really loudly so I know you can do it."

He had them hum the music, then play emphasizing dynamics.

"Can I have flutes and oboes?" Amado asked. "Beautiful, thank you. "

Next he asked the woodwind section to play. "Good, very, very good. Lean on that — then back away" he said.

After a refreshment break, Amado continued to focus on articulation and dynamics. "Everyone play really quietly — except the oboes. Everyone, see if you can hear the oboes."

Then he concentrated on the ending of the symphony. "The final note is important," he said. "You wouldn’t want anyone to think there’s any more of this. Think the articulation — dee da da."

After several rehearsals of the ending, Amado smiled his approval. When asked what it was like directing the young musicians, Amado said, "It’s fun. It’s a good vibe."

"What they are working on is skills and disciplines," said Kate Ransom, the music school’s executive director "He’s [Amado] very uncompromising, but he believes they can do it."

The oldest camper Dana Limpert, 18, of Viola hopes to join a symphony orchestra. The Kent County native will be a sophomore at Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore in the fall. She began playing the oboe at age 12.

Of the camp, Dana said, "This is nice — to get in what I can while I’m still 18."

Of Amado, she added, “He’s amazing. He’s pointing out things - being really picky making things more precise." Dana passed up the refreshment break the day Amado conducted to practice on her own.

"He was really able to help us with the difficult parts," said Alita Tulsi, 12. The clarinetist, who will attend The Charter School of Wilmington in September and plans to join its band, said the camp was a glimpse into the life of a professional performing musician.

While she practices one hour a day, she added, "I don’t really know if I’m comfortable practicing six or seven hours a day." The Newark resident she will probably not have a musical career, but she hopes to attend the camp next summer.

The same is true of Jonathan Beech, a 12-year-old cellist from Kennett Square, Pa. The son of musician parents, Jonathan would prefer to write novels. During his breaks, he read "No Dragons to Slay" by Jan Greenberg.

At age 11, Gracie Firestone of Wilmington was the youngest camper. She played the violin in the orchestra and in a chamber group.

Besides playing under professionals, campers heard them speak about selecting colleges and musical careers.

Violinist Gao discussed being an orchestra soloist versus an orchestral player. He also stressed the importance of practice and the motivation to make it as a professional musician.

"You have to love it and want to do it, or else you won’t make it," he said.

Natasha Loomis, 17, of Wilmington said she found Gao’s session on choosing colleges "very helpful" The Sanford School senior is currently looking at Vassar and Haverford colleges but will now consider state universities.

But, she said, "I’m still deciding on a career.

Natasha, who has been playing the flute since she was 5, played in an honors chamber group as well as the camp orchestra.

The camp concluded with a concert and post-concert party July 30. This time, the young musicians wore concert black. Plans already are under way for another camp in 2005.

"What’s extraordinary about this camp is that we pulled together some of the finest musicians," said Ransom. "This is truly a representation of the finest artists and educators in our area. We definitely expect the camp to grow as its students grow and as the camp gains its reputation."