However, a week later they found out
that their orchestra program and Ms.
Cooper had been selected to receive
the award – a visit from the Miró
Quartet. According to Miró Quartet
founding member Joshua Gindele,
Members of the Miró Quartet answered questions from the audience during a Q & A session.
“This educator really inspired all four of
us – having transcended the limitations
Chloe and the other members of her quartet, including
of what people think is possible within
Francesco (viola), Ji-Yool Moon (cello), and Ziya Xu (violin)
the public school system, and allowing students to transcend
performed and participated in a masterclass. “Going in to it,
themselves. We cannot wait to meet her and her students in
I didn’t think we had that much more to do with it. I thought
person.”
our piece was pretty ready,” Chloe said. “But after they worked
As a part of the visit, all of the students in the Fox Chapel Area
with us, I realized how much more you can still do with a piece.”
High School music department had the opportunity to hear the
She mentioned that the quartet members taught them about
Miró Quartet perform. Additionally, three string quartets and
presentation. “We weren’t looking at each other.” She said when
the ambassador orchestra from the high school performed and
the professional musicians took away their music stands, it
the members of the Miró Quartet led the orchestra students in
forced them to interact with each other as they played.
masterclasses. The Miró also held Q & A sessions and ate lunch
When the Miró Quartet performed, “You could almost touch
with the students.
it,” Chloe said. “They were so together, so in tune with each
other, both literally and figuratively. They were phenomenal.”
Chloe, who recently performed with her quartet at the Boyd
Community Center grand opening event, said that now when
her quartet works together, they think about what they learned.
“We still look back on what they said and apply it to what we’re
doing in orchestra.” She added, “We have more knowledge on
how to work with the musical pieces now.”
The Fox Chapel Area High School Orchestra and teacher
Mairi Cooper received a visit from the Miró Quartet as the
winner of the Miró Transcendence Education Project. The
quartet, based in Austin, Texas, held a contest in honor
of their 20th anniversary season and the free release of
their “Transcendence” album. The students entered the
competition by submitting a 30-second video to the
quartet’s Facebook page describing and showing how
musical transcendence has played a part in their lives or the
lives of someone they care about.
The Miró Quartet deeply believes in the power of music to
ignite and bring together people of diverse backgrounds,
as well as in its power to nurture the soul and educate the
mind. The Miró Quartet is the resident string quartet at The
University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music.
Following the student quartet performances, the professional musicians
conducted masterclasses.
Fox Chapel Area | Summer 2016 | icmags.com 21
FOX C HAP E L ARE A SC HOOL N E WS
After they submitted the video, she
showed it to Ms. Cooper. Chloe said that
they also viewed the other application
videos and said, “Everyone else was
really professional.” She hadn’t quite
expected that. Additionally, she said,
“The schools were from Alaska and
other cool places.”
Fox Chapel Area
the speaking part, Chloe put it together
using iMovie®, and they submitted it for
the contest.