Throughout each academic year, the students and faculty at the Community School of Performing Arts showcase their talents at hundreds of free performances. These diverse concerts highlight the musical accomplishments that more than 35 ensembles and 1,700 students have achieved while training at the Community School.
Whether through studio classes, recitals, or concerts, performances provide an opportunity for students to communicate with an audience and display their skills. On campus, there are three recital halls dedicated to the performances of Colburn students.
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Held weekly in Mayman Hall, the Friday Night Recitals showcase upper intermediate and advanced level students generally ranging in age from 10 to 18 years of age. These recitals are only for pre-college students enrolled in private lessons in the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts.
School Recitals are held in Thayer Hall and feature many of our students in polished performances of upper intermediate and advanced repertoire. These recitals present students playing beautifully as a result of thoughtful, insightful training. Students are recommended for School Recitals based on their participation on the Friday Night Recital series.
The Honors Recitals feature our most advanced and polished students from the Community School in a culminating concert in Zipper Hall. Students who are recommended from Friday Night Recital performances by faculty compete in a rigorous audition process, with the winners given the opportunity to perform on the Honors Recital.
Each year the Community School of Performing Arts welcomes renowned musicians from around the world to work with students and share their expertise with our community. During the 2021-22 academic year, students performed in masterclasses with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Bing Wang, Geraldine Walther, and Gyan Riley among others.
Our students recently participated in a master class with world-renowned pianist, Lang Lang, offering them a rare glimpse into the artistic, creative, and learning processes. Heralded by the New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet,” Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today – as a pianist, educator, and philanthropist he has become one of the world’s most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing or a few hundred children in the public schools, he is a master of communicating through music.
This September, Community School brass students will work with the members of Quadre – The Voices of Four Horns. Comprised of Amy Jo Rhine, Adam Unsworth, Lydia Van Dreel, and Kristy Morrell (guest artist), this award-winning ensemble has been recognized for its artistic programming tied to social justice issues, as well as for their efforts to bring new voices into the musical canon by regularly commissioning works by under-represented composers.