ESYO Celebrates International Jazz Day
ESYO Celebrates International Jazz Day
April 30th is International Jazz Day, a day to celebrate a uniquely American art form
Today is International Jazz Day! A day to celebrate a uniquely American art form that has influenced and inspired much of the music we enjoy.
The hallmark sounds of Jazz are deeply rooted in the musical traditions and experiences of the African-American community and reflect a complicated history that involves pain and struggle, happiness and hope, and the relentless pursuit of freedom.
The sounds of Jazz are said to have first resonated in Congo Square before the Civil War. Located in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, Congo Square was the only place in America where enslaved African's were allowed to drum, dance, and perform their music. If you listen closely you can hear the jubilant melodies, vibrant rhythms, and rich heritage of West Africa in the music we love today.
The evolution of Jazz continues today with musicians, both young and old, exploring new sounds while mixing and melding the musical styles, culture, emotions, and experiences of those who create and enjoy the free and easy sounds of Jazz.
COVID-19 challenged school music programs to think outside the box and find new ways to perform. It was difficult and not ideal, but it did offer some creative and unexpected moments. Lucas, who plays cello in his middle school orchestra recalled, "my most memorable school concert moment was in 2021 when we had to record our school concert because of COVID-19," said Lucas. Unfortunately, a technical glique in the recording kept him off the virtual stage, even though the audience could hear him. He approached the challenges of zoom concerts with humor and laughter, even when it may not have gone the way his orchestra expected. We can all learn from Lucas' perseverance and recognize that we learn the most from difficult situations.
For bass clarinetist Julia, her most memorable concert is connected to her favorite piece. When Julia was a freshman in high school, she heard a senior perform Deepwood by David Bennet. "It is a song that was written relatively recently for the bass clarinet and was the first bass clarinet solo piece published in the United States... I really liked it," said Julia.
Helping guide the project is ESYO CHIME Administrator Zoë Auerbach and Teaching Artist and ESYO Alum, Jessica Bowen. RPI Professor of Music and composer Chris Fisher-Lochhead will bring the musician's compositional ideas, improvisations, and stories to life as a multi-movement work for a combined orchestra. As a composer, Chris Fisher-Lochhead's music reflects an interest in cultivating adventurous and inclusive environments for music-making. Collaborators include notable ensembles like the Arditti Quartet, Dropshift Dance, the Spektral Quartet, Houston Grand Opera, the Contemporary Music Ensemble, to name a few.
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, a small chamber ensemble of ESYO CHIME musicians, teaching artists, and parents boarded a bus at Proctors. Its final destination? Carnegie Hall! For this passionate group of young musicians, the three-and-a-half-hour drive from Schenectady to New York City was the prelude to an incredibly memorable moment. The trip also marked the first time ESYO CHIME would perform on a national stage.
For rising high school freshman and CHIME violinist Sonia, the experience was certainly a memorable moment that she was excited to share with her friends in CHIME. "It was a place I never thought I would perform in," said Sonia. She had an even more memorable experience because of the people she went with. "It was fun to have new memories with other CHIME musicians and to share our project," she said. Sonia joined CHIME during the 2020-2021 season when CHIME was fully virtual. This experience was a fitting finale to her first in-person season with ESYO. "Stand Tall" was also relevant to the experiences shared by Sonia and perhaps most young musicians across the country. "The song is about going through a hard time and how you can persevere and keep going. It's about standing tall," said Sonia.
amazing experience," he continued.
Last month, ESYO CHIME embarked on a new music project with contemporary composer and RPI Professor of Music Chris Fisher-Lochead.
A powerful moment occurred for her when she was playing Tchiakovsky's "Romeo & Juliet" last year with the Symphony Orchestra. She writes, " I recall how elated I was playing the soaring "Juliet" horn line. I suddenly had the thought: I want to do this for the rest of my life."
It's mid-August, summer is coming to an end, and like most college students, ESYO Alum, Schenectady grad, and double bassist, Nicholas Dwarika, has been busy preparing for the first day of College. Nick will join a long list of ESYO alumni who have gone on to pursue a 4-year college degree. Not all ESYO alumni go off to the conservatory to study music. Many take the skills and lessons they have learned in ESYO and apply them to careers in science, technology, engineering, business, and public service. But, Nick has a dream to pass on his love of music to the next generation as a music teacher. The road to achieving his dream will begin this fall at the College of St. Rose in Albany. 
Named in memory of the late Dr. Henry Butzel, a biology professor at Union College, The Butzel Family Foundation Scholarship is centered upon providing financial support to graduates from the Schenectady School of Fine Arts. Mirium Butzel noted that "Nicholas' application showed him to be deeply involved in his study and devoted in his work with music, and especially appealing to me was his plan to teach at an appropriate time." 
We are incredibly proud of Nick and his achievements and wish him and the entire Class of 2020 all the best as they begin their first year of college. 
Over the last 18 months, we have worked to overcome the challenges of COVID in order to keep our young musicians playing, learning, and performing. We benefited greatly from your support and the outpouring of generosity from our community, and as a result, our young musicians continued to play without pause throughout the entire pandemic.
On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, ESYO's vision of creating a vibrant center for music youth took a significant step forward after the Schenectady County Legislature unanimously voted to approve a resolution providing $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to ESYO. The grant, which is ESYO's largest ever, will seed the transformation of the former St. Joseph's Parish School into a state-of-the-art rehearsal facility where the 14 performing ensembles of ESYO can practice.
The first phase of the multi-year, multi-phased renovation will convert the gym into an acoustically tuned rehearsal space for ESYO's larger ensembles. The former cafeteria will become a flex space that can host smaller rehearsals, workshops, board meetings, and other special events. Additional upgrades include asbestos abatement, critical updates to the restroom facilities, fire suppression systems, and administrative offices. As part of the second phase, all eight classrooms will undergo renovations and acoustic treatments, and an additional rehearsal room will be built to expand rehearsal capabilities.
