HARDWICK – Five student composers from Hazen Union School and Craftsbury Academy, Lilly Cookson, Basil Crouse, Owen Foster, Garrett Sisk, and Losada Stoddard. saw their original works brought to life in a professional performance collaboration with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO) and Music-COMP, June 5, at the Hazen Union Auditorium.
photo by Lisa Stinson
The grant-funded program paired student composers with composer mentorship from James Stewart, a professional composer and composer-mentor with Music-COMP. Over several weeks, each student developed and refined an original composition: Lilly Cookson’s “Guiding Me,” Basil Crouse’s “Through Sunlit Trees,” Owen Foster’s “Doppeldiode,” Garrett Sisk’s “Interlude,” and Losada Stoddard’s “The Fourth Wall.” Through an iterative process of drafting, feedback and revision, students shaped their musical ideas into fully realized scores.
The culminating event featured live performances by VSO musicians Christine Coyle (cello), Jane Kittredge (violin), Katie Oprea (oboe), and Ana Ruesink (viola). Each student work was performed and then immediately workshopped in real time, with students and musicians engaging in a collaborative exchange around notation, tempo, phrasing and balance. Adjustments were explored on stage in front of a live audience.
Special thanks go to Stefanie Weigand, executive director of Music-COMP, who coordinated the program, and music educators Mavis MacNeil, Leah Gagnon, and Jeffrey Reinhardt who provided ongoing instruction and support.
