The Vermont-based Orchestra Engagement Lab has announced plans for its second summer, when it will convene a consortium of orchestras to commission an orchestral-vocal work by composer Judd Greenstein and vocalist DM Stith and also launch a Teaching Artist Academy for teaching artists of all experience levels. The new academy, from July 31 to August 4 at Champlain College in Burlington, will be led by Eric Booth, OEL’s co-founder; participants will receive coaching and demonstrations from leading teaching artists in the orchestra field. For its first year last summer, OEL commissioned composer Kenji Bunch to write a concerto for electric violin, with soloist Tracy Silverman. Bunch’s work is now being completed and is scheduled for performances over the next two seasons in Anchorage, Akron, Boston, Ocean City (New Jersey), Montpelier and Middlebury (Vermont), New York City, San Antonio, and Stockton (California). Orchestra Engagement Lab was established in 2011 by Eric Booth and Paul Gambill with the goal of exploring creative ways to use music as a means to build community through new approaches to fostering audience engagement. For more information about the Teaching Artist Academy, visit oelvt.org.
Posted March 4, 2013
