PJ Middle School hosts chamber music at Harborfront Park

PJ Middle School hosts chamber music at Harborfront Park

Photo by Julianne Mosher

After more than a year of Zoom performances, practices and canceled events, the Port Jefferson School District decided to utilize a stage in their own backyard and hold their first in-person recital since the start of the pandemic. 

“It was very nice to see everyone in front of us after such a long period of time,” said eighth-grader Christopher Lotten. “It made me feel more comfortable to play in front of a live audience. It was a great experience to play in front of everyone — instead of listening to our music through a computer screen, we got to listen to it on a stage.”

The Chamber Festival 2021 took place at Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson village on May 27 where students showcased compositions by Bach, Haydn, Pleyel, Hudson, Sherwin and Müller-Rusch.

The Port Jefferson Middle School grades 7 and 8 string orchestra used the opportunity to adapt to the uniqueness of this past school year, and during the second semester, students were given the opportunity to form their own ensembles and select their chamber piece to work on and perform.

“Chamber music promotes creativity and allows students to work collaboratively with their peers,” said orchestra teacher Vanessa Salzman. “It is a wonderful way to improve musician-ship while building valuable social and musical connections.”

At just after 11 a.m., family and friends set up their lawn chairs and blankets in front of the stage built back in 2019 to honor Port Jefferson resident Jill Nees-Russell. 

“It was interesting to play in front of a live audience again,” said eighth-grader Ash Patterson. “I have always enjoyed playing in front of people, even if I do get nervous that I’ll mess up be-fore I have to perform. I felt that when I had to record our orchestral pieces, it was less real. There was no audience to motivate me to play well. It was a lot less exciting than playing live, and just turned into a tedious task for me.” 

Family and friends listened to the PJMS chamber students perform at Harborfront Park last week. Photo by Julianne Mosher

Eight groups of performers grabbed their strings and took to the small wooden performance area that Salzman described as “a picture-perfect venue.”

Mari Fukuto, a seventh-grader, said Thursday’s performance was a nice change of scenery.

“It felt strange,” she said. “But it was nice not having to record it, the scene also made the experience better.” 

Seventh-grader Lia Donohue said performing outside for her family and friends was a special moment. 

“It made the experience special knowing that everyone was there live, and taking photos like last year,” she said. “Not only for us was the experience special, but for all of the spectators watching, because they didn’t need to try to figure out how to put our performance on their screen at home.” 

Mehana Levy, a seventh-grader, agreed. 

“Playing in front of people again was a little nerve racking at first but, once I got on the stage, it felt a little more like before COVID, and reminded me why I chose to play in the first place.” 

Overall, with sunny skies and warm weather, Salzman said it was a great day.

“After a long hiatus from live performance, the support of the village hosting us and the parents and community who showed up to cheer us on made for a special and memorable day for our students,” she said.