Happy 40th Opus, Music COMP!
Tonight in the town of Colchester, Vermont, one of my all-time favorite musical events is taking place - the annual Opus Concert presented by Music COMP - and this concert is their 40th - an extremely impressive feat. While I cannot be there in person this year, MusicFirst continues to serve as the Program Sponsor. I have said it before, and I’ll continue to say it to anyone who will listen - this organization and this event is hands down my favorite example of the use of technology in music education. Students from around the state, and around the country, go through an iterative draft>edit>revise process of music composition with an assigned mentor to learn how to compose. The Opus Concert is an annual event where a specific musical group - this year it’s a music ensemble named TURNmusic- with a specific instrumentation - will perform compositions by those same students in Grades 3 through 12. While the mentoring all takes place online using tools offered by MusicFirst, the culminating event is a LIVE performance of the student work. It is truly magical to see when students hear their pieces played by real musicians for the first time. I have been to many of these concerts in the past and they always renew my enthusiasm for music education, music students, and our future.
I know its last minute, but if you are anywhere near the Burlington, VT area, trust me - it will be worth you taking the drive to attend this event. If you can’t, there will be a livestream link posted soon on this site. Here is all of the info about the concert tonight, including a link to the concert program:
Location: Elley-Long Music Center, 223 Ethan Allen Avenue, Colchester, VT
Time: Open Rehearsals: 1pm to 5pm - Concert: 6:30pm
Admission: FREE but Donations Accepted (and needed)
In addition to the rehearsals and the performance, there are a series of workshops that students and teachers can attend. Hats off to Executive Director, Stefanie Weigand and the Music COMP Board for this amazing milestone. Here’s to 40 more!
