Metropolis introduces young performers to chamber music

For many young people raised on rock and hip-hop, chamber music can be a hard sell. But for young musicians who like a challenge and are eager to hone their skills, playing in a chamber ensemble is an essential part of their musical education.

Metropolis School of the Performing Arts in Arlington Heights will be able to accommodate them when it launches a new chamber music program next month in collaboration with Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble, recently named Metropolis' ensemble-in-residence.

While SOPA has always offered students an opportunity to play in small ensembles, chamber music had not been officially incorporated into the curriculum until now, said education director Annie Sisson Rezac.

The decision to do so grew from the school's commitment to provide young musicians with the education and experience playing in a small group affords, said Rezac, who describes chamber performance as "a necessary foundation."

In addition to technical skills, playing in a chamber ensemble demands discipline, flexibility and a collaborative spirit, said Melissa Ngan Snoza, flutist and executive director of Fifth House Ensemble.

In fact, collaboration underscores the mission of the 10-member group which frequently partners with dancers, designers, visual and theater artists to create pan-disciplinary performances which are staged in atypical venues including a rock club, cafe and, most recently, the Adler Planetarium.

For students with professional aspirations, those skills are imperative. Even those who don't pursue music as a career can benefit from the chamber experience, in which participants work together to negotiate things like interpretation, intonation and repertoire, Snoza said.

"In chamber music you're not going to be a sheep," Snoza said. "You learn how to be supportive when you need to, you learn how to blend and you learn to bring your 'A' game when you need to."

Musically speaking, there's no place to hide in a chamber ensemble, which typically includes anywhere from three to 12 players.

"Chamber music takes the training wheels off without telling anybody," said Fifth House bassoonist Karl Rzasa.

Fifth House's progressive approach and its commitment to education prompted the partnership, Rezac said of the 10-musician ensemble founded in 2005 and comprised of Civic Orchestra of Chicago veterans.

As part of their residency, Fifth House members will coach ensembles and hold master classes. They'll lead workshops that will address not just rehearsal and performance techniques but programming. In addition, they will address performing in diverse spaces and effective ways to discuss music with different audiences. The group will also perform at least one concert there annually.

Admission to the chamber program is available to youngsters who have studied privately for at least a year, either at SOPA or elsewhere. Auditions determine placement within various chamber ensembles, which means two 12-year-olds might play in an ensemble with an 8-year-old if they're at the same skill level.

But where music unites, age doesn't matter, say Fifth House musicians.

"They're musicians first of all," said oboist Crystal Hall, adding that "kids who pursue chamber music are usually pretty cool."

In addition to improving their skills, musical training also helps youngsters develop self-confidence, improves their communication skills and helps them uncover their own artistic voices, Rezac said.

Admittedly, not every one of the school's 250 to 300 students, who are mostly in middle school, aspires to a career playing chamber music, or playing any kind of music at all. But their Metropolis education "puts them in a position to walk away from here with a lifelong appreciation with the arts and lifelong abilities they wouldn't get anywhere else," Rezac said.

For more information, call (847) 577-5982, ext. 221 or see metropolisarts.com.