GREENSBORO, N.C. (July 30, 2024) – Eastern Music Festival (EMF), Greensboro’s nationally recognized summer educational program and classical music festival, celebrated a successful conclusion to its 63rd season on July 27. Hosted on the historic Guilford College campus, the five-week festival featured a rigorous educational program that culminated in captivating performances, masterclasses, student recitals, and community events. This season’s offerings further solidified EMF’s reputation as a premier destination for classical music enthusiasts and emerging artists alike.
This year, EMF proudly hosted over 260 students from 37 states and 12 countries, ages 14 to 23. These talented young musicians had the unique opportunity to study with more than 70 renowned faculty members and distinguished guests from around the globe. The festival’s summer offerings included its signature five-week orchestral, piano, and conducting programs, along with specialized two-week sessions for the Euphonium-Tuba Institute and the Classical Guitar Summit.
In addition to its comprehensive educational programs, EMF featured two distinctive leadership initiatives. The Orchestral Fellowship program provided 18 pre-professional musicians, aged 23-33, the opportunity to perform alongside the festival orchestra in the prestigious Saturday night series. They also participated in the ‘Encircling the City’ project, engaging and inspiring children through outreach events at all eight Greensboro Public Libraries. The String Leadership program offered 16 selected string musicians an enriching curriculum focused on career development, leadership, and advanced musical skills, under the expert guidance of EMF’s distinguished faculty.
EMF also hosted its summer Professional Development Series, a collection of five seminars for EMF students, addressing critical topics that ranged from physical health and injury prevention to financial well-being for musicians. These seminars attracted 187 students and featured ten speakers from the Greensboro community and beyond. EMF extends its gratitude to the presenters and businesses who contributed to this year’s series, including Dr. Corey Hillman (Gate City Physio), David Ford (88.5 WFDD), Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez (Artists for Joy Podcast/Author), and Vaishali Shah (Copper Seed).
Throughout the season, EMF’s performances and events reached more than 12,000 people in the Greensboro community and beyond. The festival offered over 60 performances by our three orchestras and countless chamber ensembles, as well as activities including master classes, pre-concert lectures, and outreach performances engaging a diverse audience across the Triad community. More than 80 student participants presented over 20 free community outreach performances throughout Greensboro in partnership with local organizations, reaching more than 350 people. This success was made possible by the generous support of individual contributors, philanthropic organizations, corporations, and in-kind donors.
EMF once again partnered with the Music Academy of North Carolina to support the Explore Music with EMF camps, designed for children ages 4 to 9. The camp cultivated curiosity and provided music education to young children in the community. Throughout the camps, EMF students, staff, and resident conductors led musical demonstrations and provided introductions to various musical instruments.
One of the distinguishing features of EMF is its unique offering of both orchestral and chamber music experiences. Reflecting on EMF’s exceptional chamber opportunities, Young Artist Chamber Music Coordinator Uli Speth noted, “We had 48 student chamber groups coached by more than 25 faculty members, who were all eager to perform at our recitals and appreciative of the beautiful acoustics and atmosphere of the Carnegie Room. Several groups even took the initiative to meet outside of regular rehearsal times for extra practice.” This dedication exemplifies the spirit of EMF students and foreshadows their promising futures in the professional music world.
Highlighting the festival’s profound impact, 2024 violin student Aubren Villasenor who recently graduated from Ithaca College in upstate New York shared, “EMF helped me find my sense of identity and showed me that music is part of what makes me human – truly a special place.”
Patron Chuck Grief from Coconut Creek Florida added, “Thank you so much for spreading so much beauty before us,” in response to his week spent at EMF.
The support of 771 donors and partnering organizations enabled EMF to award more than $380,000 in scholarships to deserving and talented students this year. Of the 261 participants, more than 80% received scholarship support, demonstrating EMF’s commitment to making its programs accessible to a diverse group of young musicians.
We are profoundly appreciative of our distinguished faculty members, whose expertise and commitment shine not only through their performances and teaching but also through their invaluable administrative contributions throughout the season. The festival thrives thanks to the unwavering dedication of our exceptional administrative team, the diverse and talented seasonal staff from across the globe, the devoted local board of directors, and the countless volunteers and work-study students who contribute their time and energy. These collective efforts are the heartbeat of the festival.
Eastern Music Festival is deeply grateful to the following businesses, corporations, and foundations who partnered with us in 2024. They offered an array of support including programmatic sponsorship and general operating support, in-kind support, and season media sponsorship for the 2024 season: 88.5 WFDD, 89.7 WCPE, Action Greensboro, Appalachian State University, Arts Council of Greater Greensboro , Brooks Pierce, Cadence and Camera, City of Greensboro, Cultural Voice of North Carolina, Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, Copper Seed, Creative Greensboro, DMJPS, Green Valley Grill, Greensboro Ballet, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greensboro Opera, Greensboro Symphony, GSO Rotary, Guilford College, Lewis & Elm, Lucky 32, Moore Music Company, Music for a Great Space, National Endowment for the Arts, News and Record, North Carolina Arts Council, North Carolina Dance Festival, O. Henry Hotel, O.Henry Magazine, Our State Magazine, PBS North Carolina, Pennybyrn, Pinnacle Bank, Printworks Bistro, Proximity Hotel, Starmount Forest Country Club, Steinway Piano Gallery, Summit Rotary, Temple Emanuel, The Cemala Foundation, The Music Academy of NC, The Printery, The Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation Inc., The Tuba Exchange, Triad City Beat, Triangle Media, Tuttle Law, UNCG, U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band , WDAV, Well-Spring, Winston-Salem Symphony, WUNC, and Yes! Weekly.
EMF also thanks the following local organizations for hosting outreach events during the 2024 season and throughout the year: Ambleside Gallery, College Park Baptist, Common Grounds Coffee Shop, Cozy Brew Coffee Shop, Friends Home at Guilford, Friends Home West, Sedgefield Presbyterian, Steinway Gallery, Temple Emanuel, Terra Bella Senior Living, and Well Spring.
Planning for the 64th season of the Eastern Music Festival is already in progress. Stayed tuned for very special announcements this Fall. For more information about the festival, please visit easternmusicfestival.org.