since 1948 chestra rehearsals and large ensembles,” notes faculty cellist Amelia Smerz, also a Trillium member.“ But, during the semester program, it’ s all strings, and it’ s a lot more chamber-oriented. String quartets and quintets are the main focus. That makes it very different from the summer model – and very intense in its own way.” Faculty violist and Trillium member Sydney Link adds:“ The intensity is much higher here than in the summer, because we can really focus on chamber work. Even a month in, we’ re seeing that the students in the first semester are holding themselves to a higher standard. They’ re learning faster and listening better. That will prepare them for what’ s next, whether that’ s college auditions or even just learning the discipline of being in a professional ensemble.”

Over the semester, students will perform a wide range of classical repertoire. Ava shares:“ We started with Mozart and Haydn, then we’ re moving into Boccherini and Schubert. We’ ve done Beethoven, and we even did a string arrangement of Britney Spears’‘ Toxic,’ which we performed at BBA. It’ s a lot of fun, and it pushes us in different directions.”

Every Saturday, the students perform in venues across Southern Vermont— town halls, libraries, churches, and arts centers.“ We started with one here on campus, then Jamaica Town Hall, Grafton Community Church, Chester Town Hall, and Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester,” shares Mazzocchi.“ All of our concerts are open and free to the public. And that makes us part of the community fabric of Manchester and beyond.” For the students, these concerts are weekly opportunities to test their skills in front of new audiences.“ It really makes them look into what the professional world— or at the very least what college-level music education— is going to be like,” says Smerz.“ They will leave here understanding the commitment, the rehearsal time, and the preparation it takes to study classical music at a collegiate level and make it their career and full-time occupation.”

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