We have received the final recording from our friends at Juilliard of an original composition called IRMA. Our Middle School Strings Students were accepted to take part in the NAE – Juilliard Trio Composition Project. This was an intensive four-month project where our 6th 7th & 8th-grade string orchestra musicians worked together through the composition process, guided by our assigned Juilliard composition specialist Jessica Meyer, to compose a piece of music beyond their own current playing abilities and to test the musicianship of our Juilliard friends.

The students took part in weekly Skype sessions with her and sent copies of their scores to the musicians in NYC. On Thursday, April 26th, 2018, our friends from Juilliard came to visit the students for the day at WPS. They held a workshop session with our composers and performed their piece. It was truly an unveiling of a piece of art and a magical moment when these fine young musicians heard their piece performed for the first time. They wrote a sophisticated and intricate piece in four movements inspired by Hurricane Irma. This was a huge accomplishment and I am very proud of their work.

The WPS Middle School String Orchestra students received this year’s “Outstanding Ensemble” award and the “Composers of the Year” award from me. Well deserved!!

Tim Hainsworth

YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/GhAqVNuF_rQ