3 minute read
Musical Mentoring
PHOTO BY ROY COX
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BY MANDY HAYNES • PHOTOS BY SHERRY CARTER
Twenty years ago, a cellist vacationing on Amelia Island and a group of Fernandina Beach women had a vision. Their love of chamber music and passion for music education was the perfect combination. Together, with help from the community, the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival was born. Since its humble beginning, it has grown into one of the largest chamber festivals in the southeastern United States.
Staying true to its passion for music education, the Festival launched the Spring Institute in 2019. Th e primary purpose of the Spring Institute is to provide young students with the opportunity to be trained and mentored by some of the best musicians in the field. This year, the esteemed Dover Quartet, the Festival’s quartet-in-residence and one of the most in-demand quartets in the world, were able to share their knowledge with students from the Meraki and Jennings quartets.
I had the opportunity to interview the students and arrived at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church as Bryan Lee and the members of the Jennings Quartet were in the middle of a coaching session. Eric Sakurai, Executive Director of the Festival, appeared and whisked me off to another room to meet the Meraki Quartet.
It was obvious that Eric is great at time management, which no doubt came in handy this week. When I asked the Meraki Quartet what their favorite thing about the Spring Institute has been, they were unanimous: to have a week of instruction by the Dover Quartet was something the students would never forget. “We love the Dover Quartet, and to get to meet them and work with them has been incredible,” says violinist Sofia Matthews.
“It’s so nice to get to work with a quartet on the younger side because it feels like our dream is attainable. They’ve shown us that if we keep working hard and working together, we could possibly get there too,” adds cellist Isabelle Nichols.
Meraki Quartet
Sherry Carter
It was time to run next door and get an interview with the Jennings Quartet before they left for lunch. I asked the same question: “What’s been the best thing about your week at the Spring Institute?”
“The sessions with the Dover Quartet, the feeling of satisfaction of getting to know how they work, and getting to use the knowledge they’ve cultivated and shared with us so we can be a better quartet,” says Louis Parra Elkhouri, cellist.
“The Dover are like these mammoth players, my favorite quartet in the world. It was like meeting celebrities, but they talked to us like colleagues. It’s really crazy and surreal,” says violinist Anna Black. “Th e most challenging part has been having the energy and stamina to endure all of the coaching and performing,” says violist Carlos Walker. Then he laughed and added, “But what a great thing to get to complain about!”
Jennings Quartet
Sherry Carter
“I’m not aware of another student string quartet program anywhere that matches this kind of intense musical experience. Th e progress and development the students achieved in such a short time was amazing; it was a thrill to witness,” says Christopher Rex. “I hope the students know how much joy they brought to everyone on the island.”
The Dover Quartet enjoys the opportunity to work with students. “They’re great, so much fun to work with. Really sweet and receptive, and their energy energizes you. At the end of the hour or two hours that you’ve worked with them, you feel more invigorated than you were before,” says violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt.
“Amelia Island feels like a second home for us. The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival is a great organization that’s always been ahead of the curve. They bring so much to the community, and we love our time here,” says violinist Bryan Lee. The feeling is mutual.
“We are fortunate to have all four members of the world-renowned Dover Quartet and Christopher Rex as coaches and mentors for the Institute. Th e students practiced and rehearsed very diligently day and night at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church for the entire week. Their final concert at the Nassau County Courthouse was simply amazing,” says Erik Sakurai.
“It’s so enlightening for me to see both student quartets make very noticeable improvement in just one week. Without this wonderful community amongst the musicians, we could not have had a successful Spring Institute.”
