High School Musicians Learn

What ‘Friends’ Are For

By Larissa Lytwyn

If “passion” were a musical composition, its composer would be the Pacifica String Quartet.

Comprised of violist Masumi Per Rostad, cellist Brandon Vamos and violinists Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardson, the quartet recently shared its love for music with Newtown High School’s symphony orchestra and string ensemble.

  The Albert Wadsworth and Helen Clark Memorial Fund made the event possible through a $3,810 grant to Newtown’s Friends of Music program.

The event was the latest in Friends of Music’s continuing outreach effort to local schools, connecting student musicians with professional players.

Mr Per Rostad explained the historic and musical significance of the quartet. The small arrangement, he explained, allowed musicians to be more creative and experimental. Its physical structure was intimate, allowing small groups of friends to gather and perform in lieu of an expensive full-scale orchestra.

After an impeccable 45-minute performance of pieces by composers including Beethoven and Haydn, the quartet listened to the student orchestra’s rendition of “Roumanian Rhapsody No. 2,” by George Enesco.

While initially intimidated by the accomplished foursome, whose work has been lauded in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, the students gradually became more comfortable.

Mr Vamos and Mr Bernhardson emphasized the importance of playing with heart and conviction.

“I really liked listening to them perform,” said bassist Nick Isles, a junior who’s been involved with Newtown High School’s orchestra since his freshman year. “Clearly, they are very dedicated to what they do.”

In addition to practicing five hours daily, the quartet also teach music at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois.

Music Director Michelle Hiscavich said it was “exciting” to have the quartet visit the high school. “The musicians are [relatively] close in age to our students,” she said, “which makes them a little more relatable.” She praised the grant for making such an event possible. “These musicians serve as role models for our students,” she said. “They help our students enormously in terms of musicianship and technique.”

With approximately 450 members, Newtown High School’s music program is thriving. For the first time ever, the school even had to divide the students into two orchestras to accommodate the increase.

Ellen Parrella of Friends of Music said she was also delighted by the quartet’s visit to Newtown High School. The quartet performed at Edmund Town Hall on February 22, drawing a crowd of about 350 people. “The students were invited to attend,” said Ms Parrella.

The Pacifica String Quartet will be performing March 5 at the Center for Chamber Music, Inc in Greenwich.