Anything for Music!
High School Composition Intensive, Boston Conservatory at Berklee Summer Program
Author: Eleonora Savvidou (Year 6)
In the midst of the endless GCSE exams, desperate for something more exhilarating, I began looking for music summer programs. Nothing appeared to be unique enough. By mere serendipity, a Boston Conservatory High School Composition Intensive program appeared. With the positive reinforcement and enthusiasm of Ms Monica Theodotou, I applied.
In July I arrived in the amazing town of Boston. I found myself amongst a group of future young, keen composers from all over the world wondering how I was going to live up to the expectations: three compositions in less than two weeks, one of which would have been performed by the well-known Julius Quartet. The utterly enthusiastic program director welcomed us to the conservatory and before we had time to introduce ourselves he warned that ‘you might not be sleeping for two weeks!’.
As we gathered in one of the Conservatory halls on the first day at 10 am we were told we had to have a draft of a piano composition ready by 3 pm. Feeling somewhat daunted I looked around me only to realise that the other students had a manuscript and pencil in hand composing whilst he was talking! The second project was a woodwind trio. During one of our score reading sessions, our oboist pleaded with us to add more rests in the scores before we ‘hear of the dead oboist from Boston!’. Our final project was a string quartet. Late one evening, whilst trying to come up with musical ideas a sudden fire alarm sound came as if out of nowhere. An Emergency Alert - Flash Flood Warning in the area. No problem there, I wasn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon. My final composition was titled ‘False Alarms’.
Daily we had morning group lessons looking at each other’s compositions with a variety of teachers all with an infectious passion for music, warm and approachable. During some afternoons we had score reading sessions with the instrumentalists and faculty composer presentations.
For two weeks I more or less lived at the conservatory, and couldn’t have wished to have been anywhere else!
On the last day, our teachers came along with words of advice and encouragement for the future. One of my composition teachers suggested that in September I continue at the boarding school ‘Interlochen Center for the Arts’ in preparation for the undergraduate instrumental auditions at BoCo. Located in a remote area between two rivers, the practice huts explain the key to success!
After the final concert the course director, Professor John Murphree reflected, ‘I’m bit surprised that we didn’t upset the earth’s orbit by having so many composers generating so much music in one place for two weeks!’.
Challenging it was, but I would have done it all again anytime!
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