Click the links below to watch video of each performance:
“Entrance of the Queen of Sheba”
Photos and videos courtesy McGlynn parent Mr. Steve Eliopoulos
On Saturday, April 13, the McGlynn String Ensemble, under the direction of Sophia Chang, delivered a memorable performance at the MICCA Gold Medal Showcase at Symphony Hall in Boston. The outpouring of applause resonated vigorously in this world-renowned Hall. Parents, teachers, and principal Jake Edwards were filled with pride and passion.
The ensemble, founded four years ago by Mrs. Chang, won their second Gold Medal from the Massachusetts Instrumental and Chorus Conductor’s Association Band and Orchestra Concert Festival. Participants include violin: Sebastian Tringalle, Andrew Nguy, Joseph Farah, Carson Kurtz-Rossi, Nicholas Keniston, Danielle Le, Emily Pham, Tyler Nguyen, Najma Jama, William Carbone; viola: Laura Schmidt, Stella Eliopoulos, Olivia Colin, Jasper Su; cello: Iverson Eliopoulos, Justin Tseng, Mateos Sahakian, Leonidas Pancic, Francesca Viggianni, and double bass Charles Todhunter, Arden Ingersoll.
The MICCA festival is designed to promote excellence in musical performance and was held in eight sites across Massachusetts on April 5, 6, & 7. This year close to 250 groups from the state participated and medals were awarded to the participating ensembles by a distinguished panel of music educators.
MICCA, with the support of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Mechanics Hall, sponsored its fifteenth annual “Stars at Symphony” gold medal showcase. Ensembles that earned a gold medal rating at the 2013 MICCA Concert and Choral Festivals were invited to perform at two world class venues; Symphony Hall in Boston on Saturda,y April 13th, and Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Sunday, April 14th.
The following is the ensemble’s reflection on their MICCA and Symphony Hall performance.
“The Symphony Hall concert was likely one of the scariest and enjoyable experiences I have ever had. The emotions that boiled up inside me were so confusing that it was hard for me to concentrate. I have always thought it impossible for me to ever see a concert there, nevertheless to play in such a huge hall. I was very excited and very nervous, and all my favorite teachers being there didn’t really help my taut nerves very much,” said Joseph Farah.
“When the bus arrived at symphony hall I was very scared to play,” said 6th grader Arden Ingersoll, who is a second year double bass player and a new member to the ensemble. “I think I did best with Contrasts in E minor. My favorite part of all the songs was the cello and bass solo in contrasts.”
“When we first got there, I was so nervous and scared. My teeth were chattering and my hands were shaking backstage, but when I got on stage, all that mattered was the music. Symphony Hall was a life-changing experience that I will never forget and will cherish for all eternity,” added cellist Francesca Viggianni.
“I felt so honored and happy to be able to play in the hall with my fellow players. Our group is actually very small compared to all the other Gold Medal ensembles. We took up only 2 rows of seating while other performing groups took up the whole stage. But we sounded good!” Said 7th grade violinist Andrew Nguy, beaming with satisfaction.
Violinist Sebastian Tringale recalled the MICCA festival:
“I would have guessed that in all of my concerts that I have participated in, I would accumulate enough experience to not be so shocked in the spotlight. It was quite a horrific scene. My bow was quivering, everyone else focused and serious, and three mean- looking judges scribbling notes down on a very official form. The Gold Medal Showcase was not much better. Without the adjudicators pressuring my formality, I was too overwhelmed with happiness.”
“Similar to the day of the MICCA Festival, I was anxious, eager, nervous, yet I also felt confident. Even though, the Gold Medal Showcase at Symphony Hall was not to be as intense and frightening as the actual competition, performing at Symphony Hall was still overwhelming. All that was in my mind was that we were truly prepared for this performance, and we had to have fun while playing as musically as we could,” said 8th grader Emily Pham, who joined the ensemble in 6th grade.
Pham continued:
“As we entered the stage, I couldn’t help but admire the beauty that surrounded us. From the architecture to the dozen statues above, the hall was magnificent. I was nearly petrified from the overwhelming hall and from my nervousness. I peeked and noticed many familiar faces belonging to my teachers, my friends’ parents, and even some of my family. Seeing everyone made me forget how nervous and frightened I was because it really means a lot for teachers and parents to give up their time in order to support us. After that, I knew that it was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t mess up. Delivering a great performance was a nice way of expressing gratitude for their support.”
“With godly acoustics, Symphony Hall was a dream come true. With a lighter mood we were able to play from our hearts rather than focus on playing the notes. One of the more notable moments of our performance was after the last note; you could hear that note ringing off of the walls. That was just amazing. I cherished my few moments on the stage at Symphony Hall and hope to be able to do it again, as soon as next year!” Said Tringale.
The ensemble performed three selections: “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba,” “A Beethoven Lullaby,” and “Contrasts in E Minor.”
Talking about the performance, cellist Iverson Eliopoulos spoke frankly.
“When we started with our first piece, ‘Entrance of the Queen of Sheba,’ the ensemble wasn’t too confident. This affected our balance and tempo. We rushed at certain parts. Also, our tone was very different from rehearsal; we didn’t play out enough. AT certain points, the cellos sounded overwhelming the first violins. So when the cellos were out of tune, everyone could hear it.”
“I felt the urge to rush and I wasn’t focusing correctly. I had to take a deep breath after I played to release the intense feeling building up inside of me,” confessed Violinist Danielle Le.
“I also think that a more faster and intense pace will fit the title better,” said 6th grader Jasper Su, who just joined the ensemble.
Violist Stella Eliopoulos, Iverson’s sister, turned the focus to “A Beethoven Lullaby.”
“Beethoven Lullaby was probably our strongest piece. Although it is the simplest piece in our repertoire, the simplicity makes it even more difficult to play. We played the rainbow phrases, and we had great releases with our bows. The vibrato with the amazing acoustics of the Hall made the song sound even more fantastic.”
“Beethoven’s Lullaby was played very musically. A naïve listener would suggest that this piece was way too ‘easy’ for Micca/Symphony Hall, but what they didn’t realize was that the notes on paper are simple, but to bring them out with the right feelings and emotions was the most difficult,” said cellist Mateos Sahakian.
“I put all my heart into this song. While playing this piece, I thought about how lucky I am to be in the ensemble. I thought about the unfortunate children with no food or homes to live in but, I mostly thought about how thankful I am to my family for supporting me throughout my years of violin,” said Le.
“I received a lot of feedback from my parents and friends’ parents. They thought ‘A Beethoven Lullaby’ was performed the best. We pumped it full of emotion,” added bass player Chaz Todhunter.
“Our performance of ‘A Beethoven Lullaby’ was lovely and I heard afterwards that a few people from the audience were moved to tears. We blended well and we listened to each other to create an emotional and artistic performance. The ending was beautiful, we held our notes, and it was amazing to have complete silence in the hall,” said 7th grade cellist Leo Pancic.”I enjoyed playing ‘Contrasts in E Minor.’ It is an intense and passionate piece.”
“I think we played the best ever at Symphony Hall, though I could have pushed myself even farther to improve my tone quality, projection, and rhythm precision. I feel that we are a group with a lot of potential, and that there is always no end to the perfecting in music. We are blessed with a strong music program and a musically supportive community in Medford,” said cellist Justin Tseng.
“Indeed, Medford string program was well-established for the past fifty years. It continued to serve many underprivileged children despite a tight budget. We owe too much to those who labored tirelessly to keep the program alive,” said Mrs. Chang.
What did you gain from playing with the McGlynn String Ensemble?
“I have learned many things during this year. One main thing I learned was how to read notes better. At the beginning of the year I didn’t know how to read notes well enough so I just heard the song and played the notes I heard. This experience has helped me improve in playing the double bass and becoming a better musician,” said Ingersoll.
“Though we felt so great to get to Symphony Hall, when we got there, I would imagine that I wasn’t the only one to mess up (at least, I hope so). After all, we are still amateurs. We should continue to hold that high standard, but not punish ourselves for not getting there,” said Tringale.
“Getting to perform at Symphony Hall was an amazing experience. This was my first and probably last MICCA performance so it was very special to me; I hold it dearly to my heart,” said 8th grader Tyler Nguyen.
“It is always special to play with people who share the same passion for music,” said Olivia Colin.
“Never in my whole life did I ever think I would play in the renowned Symphony Hall,” said Najma Jama, who joined the ensemble in 8th grade. “This experience was amazing and will definitely be in my memory as one of the peaks of my youth.”
“I know that whenever I go to Symphony Hall now, I’ll always be thinking of how I stood on that stage. It was truly an once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can’t say that it was our best performance ever, but I think that, for how nervous we were, we gave it our all. This is my last year with this group, and I know that I’m going to miss it – the enjoyment, the festival, the friendship – but most of all, the music,” said Laura Schmidt, principal violist.
“Performing in Symphony hall was an once-in-a-lifetime experience, and anybody who stayed to watch our performance would tell you that we did not sound like the kids who fooled around on the bus trip there, but like professional musicians,” said Sahakian.
“I am very pleased with the ensemble’s performance. The students demonstrated a strong connection to the conductor on the stage. The profound non-verbal communication among the players really captured the audience,” said Mrs. Chang. “The McGlynn String Ensemble is a very unique group, for most students don’t take private lessons, let alone pricey instruments. We don’t have super strong players but each individual’s sound counts. The award is truly the result of the students’ hard work and enthusiasm.”
“Since we only rehearse once per week after school, I have to find other online avenues to teach beyond the limit of time and space in a traditional classroom setting,” Mrs. Chang continued. “Besides the rehearsal, students rotate once per month to attend the sectional for tutoring. It is my great pleasure to work closely with the children even though it took a great effort to bring them to this performance level.”
“I loved seeing how closely the students watched you and how engaged they were with the music,” said 5th grade teacher Mrs. Notaro.
“I really enjoyed them and I especially enjoyed the looks on the students’ faces as they looked and realized just where they were. This is a special accomplishment,” said adjudicator Dr. Mark Fonder, Ithaca College School of Music.
“It was amazing that Mr. Upham, our clinician, said he could not find the words to describe the experience of hearing middle schoolers make such beautiful music,” said Leo.
“I cannot express how grateful I am to Mrs. Chang for her dedication to the group and for the opportunities she has afforded them. The performance brought tears to my eyes. It is so hard to believe that 12 and 13-year-olds are producing music of this quality!” Said one parent.
“The children have so much potential. It is rewarding to help them achieve what they thought is beyond their reach. Many, many thanks to the parents and the McGlynn community!” Said Mrs. Chang.