This spring I had the opportunity to arrange and perform John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil together with our resident performing ensemble at Community MusicWorks. I had wanted to play The Protecting Veil ever since I first heard a recording of the piece as a college student and was drawn in by the transcendent beauty of the music. It’s been incredibly fulfilling to see that dream come to fruition with help from an innovation grant from the Sistema Fellowship Resource Center at New England Conservatory.
The Community MusicWorks vision of staff working to build community as both teachers and performers is what initially drew me to the organization, and I still hold the belief that the energy and inspiration for teaching flows directly out of my love of music and performing. The opportunity to work as a performing musician is what sustains me and feeds my love for sharing my musical life with students and families in the community.
At the Daily Orchestra Program, we try to draw connections between what we are doing as musicians and what our students are doing in their daily practice. A student in the Daily Orchestra Program recently asked me what I would be doing during the next week, and I explained that I would be rehearsing every day for a performance at the end of the week. At first he replied, “Whoa, that’s a lot,” but after reflecting for a moment he added, “Well, I guess that’s what we do, too.” As we were preparing to perform The Protecting Veil, we shared a recording of the piece with students and told them that this was something we were really excited to play. We talked with them about John Tavener and added him to the composer timeline we’ve been building.
I was glad that many of our students were able to see the performance, and that they were able to see me pursuing something that means so much to me. My hope is that seeing that will in some way inspire them to also pursue the things in life that are meaningful to them.
Adrienne Taylor, Sistema Fellow ‘11
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