On Friday March 7th, the Wellington Wind Symphony was incredibly grateful to have Chicago-based composer James Stephenson with us for our concert. This concert, titled ‘Voices’ in honour of Jim’s Symphony No. 2: Voices which served as the evening’s final number, was a fabulous event all the way around. The ensemble membership was absolutely glowing following the performance, and the audience left with a stunning evening of music to reflect on.
And yet what many may not realize, is that while Jim was with us for our performance and worked with the ensemble on the Wednesday evening prior to our event, the Wellington Wind Symphony had a much bigger plan for his visit. Our ensemble has long had a passion for educational outreach, and took this golden opportunity of having Jim here as a chance to expand our community outreach.
Jim flew into Pearson airport just before noon on Tuesday March 4th, and by 1:15 PM he was in front of a class of Waterloo ON high school music students, sharing his story as a composer – what it means to be a composer, how he makes a living, how he personally ended up there, and why he loves what he does. He also gave a deep dive for the students into his Symphony No. 2, which the WWS would perform on Friday evening. He shared personal anecdotes, touching tributes, and overall spent a very relatable and engaging afternoon with students that was definitely inspiring!
He did this again on Wednesday, sharing with high school students in Cambridge ON. Jim spent his Wednesday afternoon working with Wilfrid Laurier Faculty of Music students in private lessons. On Thursday he spoke to another high school in Waterloo in the morning, as well as Wilfrid Laurier Faculty of Music Orchestration, Composition 1 and Composition 2 classes throughout the rest of the day. And on Friday he connected with more high school students in both Stratford and Woodstock. All this before he headed to the WWS evening concert, back in Waterloo.
The Wellington Wind Symphony has always firmly believed that musical opportunities and enrichments for students are part of the reason we exist, as not one of us would be in this ensemble without the benefit of inspirational musicians in our own lives. We are thrilled to have helped over 200 students from the Waterloo Region and beyond connect with James Stephenson, through the experience of these incredible workshops.
We are looking forward to working with students on our final concert of this season, through a unique performance experience – stay tuned for details!