This holiday concert season the Out-of-Door Academy tried something new: a collaboration with another strong music program: Booker High School’s Visual Performing Arts. The performance offered students a chance to work with other serious musicians, experience another teaching style, and perform on a large stage.

ODA strings teacher Nicole Young, reflects on the process of blending the two schools.

“Last school year, 2013-2014, the professional rock string quintet Sybarite 5 visited our campus to perform and work with our students.  In an effort to expose as many musicians possible to this amazing quintet, the Out-of-Door Academy invited the musicians of Booker High School’s Visual Performing Arts Program to our campus to participate in both the concert and master class session.

Out-of-Door’s string musicians truly enjoyed this experience, and it was clear the two groups had musical chemistry.  Booker’s Orchestra Director, Nathan Frantz, and I decided it would be fun to do a collaborative project featuring all of our musicians together.
The repertoire was chosen over the summer and students on both campuses began working on the repertoire in the fall.  We communicated through video, Skype, and email in regards to the nuances in the music.”

On December 3, the advanced strings traveled to Booker to work with their musicians  and director, Nathan Frantz, on three pieces. The three pieces were Concerto Grosso in G minor “Christmas Concerto,” Op.6 No. 8.-6. Pastorelle Correlli, New World Symphony’s No.9, Mvt. IV, Antonin Dvorak, and “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo,” O’Neill & Kinkel.

“The students had a very positive experience. The students in visual arts are planning to study music in college, and the level which they play helped our orchestra play their very best and it inspires our students, ” says Ms. Young.

“It was amazing,” reflected junior, Tyler Wenger.

Booker and ODA performed these pieces on December 11 in the Black Box and at Booker High School on Tuesday, December 16. We hope there will be more collaborations in the future.