Program offered in association with The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, founded in 1693, providing quality Road Scholar programs since 1978.

Celebrate Classical Music – A Lifelong Learning Program

Join our five-day program for adults ages 55 and up! From July 19-23, 2013, experience an exciting classical music experience of concerts, lectures, conversations with musicians, and behind-the-scenes tours. Returning participants are welcome, as lectures and repertoire are new each year, while tours rotate on a regular basis!

Program Overview

This five-day program will give you a glimpse of the Festival, including a Young Artists Orchestra Concert, an Eastern Festival Orchestra Concert, a Young Artists Piano Recital, and an Eastern Chamber Players Concert. Throughout each day, enjoy in-depth musical enrichment as engaging lecturers, renowned conductors, and professional musicians discuss composers and repertoire. In addition, receive a behind-the-scenes look at the Eastern Music Festival School for pre-professional musicians ages 14-22. Participants will stay at the sophisticated O.Henry Hotel, and each meal will be held at a variety of the finest restaurants in the area.

Concerts

The five-day program features a thrilling performance by the Eastern Festival Orchestra, EMF's professional orchestra, with pianist André Watts. Other performances include an exciting performance by the Young Artists Orchestra (EMF's pre-professional orchestra), a piano recital by some of the nations' most talented young pianists, and a stunning chamber music performance by members of the Eastern Chamber Players.

Lectures

Participants will receive insight into various aspects of the music field and explore the historical background of repertoire performed in the evening concerts. Daily sessions will be led by a variety of outstanding speakers, conductors, and musicians.

Discussions with Conductors and Musicians

Experience the rare opportunity for small-group discussion with Associate Conductors José-Luis Novo and Grant Cooper, and a variety of Eastern Festival Orchestra musicians during meals throughout the program.

Guided Tours

Visit the impressive Cello Music Collections at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The Collections constitute the largest single holding of cello music-related materials in the world, including music libraries of eight prodigious cellists, original compositions, transcriptions, performance scores with hand-written notations by the performer, and personal papers. The program will consist of a discussion about the procurement of the Luigi Silva Collection initiated by Elizabeth Cowling; a documentary short film, Bernard Greenhouse: Song of the Birds, by Joanna Hay Productions for the University Libraries Cello Music Collection at UNC-Greensboro, 2010; and an overview of the preservation of materials in the Cello Music Collections.

New to the program in 2013: Take A Journey with Jazz! Visit the trumpet of Miles Davis at University of NC-Greensboro, enjoy a live jazz quartet and receive behind-the-scenes insight into the music. After lunch, have coffee in a shop popular among many jazz players or meander the galleries of the Weatherspoon Art Museum.

Accommodations and Meals

Through a generous sponsorship, participants will stay at the sophisticated O.Henry Hotel, named after the renowned short story writer from Greensboro. Participants will rest well and enjoy gracious hospitality in oversized guestrooms with complimentary full breakfast, outstanding amenities and an attentive staff.

Each meal will be held at a variety of the finest and most popular restaurants in Greensboro, including Green Valley Grill and Print Works Bistro.

Sample Day Schedule

Musicologist Dr. Greg Carroll and conductor Peter Perret explore the history behind the evening's composers and repertoire in a casual, conversational atmosphere during EMF's summer season. free and open to the public.

Dr. Greg Carroll

DR. Greg Carroll is an associate professor in the School of Music at UNC Greensboro, where he teaches courses in music theory, composition, history and literature. He was the first winner of the Outstanding Teacher Award in the School of Music. He holds a B.A. in music from St. John's University (MN) and an M.M. and Ph.D. in Composition and Theory from the University of Iowa. Prior to coming to UNCG in 1981, he taught at The University of Iowa and Indiana State University.

Peter Perret

Peter Perret is the conductor emeritus of the Winston-Salem Symphony, having served as Music Director from 1978 to 2004. Previously, Perret served the Buffalo Philharmonic as Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductor for three years and was principal conductor of the Capetown Symphony (South Africa). He received advanced music degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the Academia Chigiana in Siena. Currently, Perret leads frequent workshops on his co-authored book, A Well-Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn.