About Us
Young Musicians at their Best
HRCP places a balanced emphasis on musical growth as well as personal and social development. When studying in a chamber ensemble, students often build close friendships with the other members of the group while expanding musical independence and skills. The absence of a conductor also allows participants to make their own musical decisions.
Programs & Camps
HRCP’s year-round program is divided into two semesters of 15 weeks each. Fall Semester begins in early September, and Spring semester starts in early January. Rehearsals are held on Sundays at the Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalist Church from 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm. Our Summer Camps are two separate week-long workshops held at the end of June and run from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm.
Students are grouped into quartets, quintets, and sextets that perform regularly in public concerts, private parties, and corporate sponsored events. Playing in such small ensembles allows our young musicians to bring their art to a new level, further developing the expertise and confidence to play as soloists. In addition, our Sinfonietta allows our entire complement of musicians to perform together. Typically, this means about a dozen violins, six violas, six cellos, and one string bass, although the exact numbers vary from one concert to the next. This form of larger ensemble playing enhances each musician’s sensitivities to the complexities of solo opportunities within a group performance. In much the same way as excellent jazz, each musician must be intimately aware of what all the other performers are doing from moment to moment.
Benefits of Chamber Music
HRCP strongly believes these (and many other) benefits come from the study of chamber music:
- Advances listening skills, so students can more easily hear the other parts in an ensemble and balance their own parts accordingly, in turn reinforcing cooperation and supportive aptitudes and the exchange of musical ideas
- Acquire an even deeper understanding of tone production
- Encourage and cultivate the ability to read a score
- Inspires gifted players and emboldens less confident students
- Develops a strong sense of personal responsibility and commitment to group projects, as members are accountable for their own part, in turn securing the ultimate success of the entire ensemble
- Increases conscientiousness which incentivizes practice, enhancing study and commitment
- Cultivates a greater precision in rhythm, intonation, and dynamic range
- It’s fun!
Led by our professional coaches, each semester and camp week includes private instruction, supervised coaching sessions with the small ensembles, daily Sinfonietta rehearsals, and master classes, providing ample opportunities for one-on-one coaching and instruction from our professional music faculty.
Hampton Roads Chamber Players demands a serious commitment to musical performance as well as to fellow musicians. We place a balanced emphasis on musical growth as well as personal and social development. When studying in a chamber ensemble, students often build close friendships with the other members of the group while expanding musical independence and skills. The absence of a conductor also allows participants to make their own musical decisions.
For nearly two decades HRCP has been receiving letters from parents, students, and alumni telling us that summer at HRCP has changed their lives. Students and parents alike describe an increased sense of self-identity, self-worth and leadership aptitude. We are proud of our unique program and our ability to provide a safe and supportive environment where young musicians are nurtured and given the opportunity to explore and express themselves. Please check out some of our students’ thoughts in their own words on our alumni page.
MEET THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Jorge AGUIRRE
Jorge started his studies as a violinist at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música of Peru, his native country. Later he received a scholarship to study in Mexico with legendary violinist Henryk Szeryng. Another scholarship took him to study with Miss Dorothy Delay in the Aspen Music Festival and School. His musical curiosity led him to Europe where he performed as a soloist and a chamber player.
He also occupied different title chairs in various orchestras, such as the Sinfonietta de Roma in Italy, the Royal Opera of Brussels in Belgium, the Mannheim Opera in Germany, and the Madrid Symphony in Spain where he performed as principal and soloist.
He currently lives in the U.S. where he works with the Virginia Symphony and the Virginia Opera. He is the Artistic Director of the Hampton Roads Chamber Players as well as the international project Traveling Notes, of which he is a founding member. He also works as a conductor and as a professor at various universities in Virginia. In his long career, he has had the privilege to play professionally with Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Metha, Lorin Maazel, Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zukerman, YoYo Ma, among others.
“In 1962, 13-year-old violinist Pinchas Zukerman was brought to New York from Israel by Isaac Stern. Stern said: ‘Pinchas needs chamber music. No other form of music-making teaches listening at such a high level of awareness,’ said Stern, ‘This is the most important training we can give him.’”
Story courtesy of PAUL KATZ, cello, member Cleveland Quartet (1969–95),
chamber-music coach New England Conservatory of Music
Board of Directors
Jim Nesbit, President
Michael Haig, Treasurer
Terri Kirschner
Daniel Zink
Faith Shaw Winstead
Alex Lieder
John Knapp
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