Trio Nobile members share their talents with local students
Post Published On:In addition to performing as part Arts for the Community at Thomas University’s (ACTU) popular Fridays at Noon series livestream event on Sept. 25, members of Trio Nobile also visited with students on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
The group includes recent graduates from Florida State University Dr. Christina Lai and Dr. Pedro Mai, as well as Victor Leung, a graduate teaching assistant in the FSU College of Music. This trio of violin, cello and piano has been praised for their “cohesive energy, intelligent musicality, and technical prowess.” The group’s members have extensive experience as chamber musicians performing in Asia, Europe, North, South and Central America. They have played in prestigious halls, including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York and Seoul National Theatre in South Korea.
Trio Nobile did a workshop on vibrato and rehearsal techniques for the Thomasville High School String Orchestra using Google Meet at the request of Dr. Sally Hernandez, director of the Thomasville City Schools Orchestra.
“The guest artists were so exciting and gave lots of vibrato tips and exercises,” Evan Ariail, a Thomasville High School student said.
“It was very interesting to hear them discuss the mechanics of vibrato and how to practice it on string instruments,” Dr. Karl Barton, coordinator of ACTU, said. “I also did a brief demonstration of how it works on the flute and voice, along with the similarities and differences. I think the students got a lot out of the workshop.”
The Thomasville City Schools students also heard a short performance of Johan Halvorsen’s “Variations on a Theme by Handel” for violin and cello and were invited to view a recording of Trio Nobile’s recent performance from a Friday at Noon concert at Thomasville First United Methodist Church, which is available at https://facebook.com/actu31792/live.
“Although things are very different through these difficult times, it was refreshing to have such beautiful music played for us virtually and tips to help better our playing,” Amber Booker, a Thomasville High School student, said.
Trio Nobile also gave an in-person mini-performance to the orchestra students at Cross Creek Elementary School. They performed Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons.” Students had the opportunity to ask the artists questions about their backgrounds and the music.
“This was a really great program, and these students would never be able to experience something like this without it,” said Dr. Boyan Bonev, Orchestra Director for Thomas County Schools. “ACTU did a great job brining these artists to the schools.”
This program is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“This kind of educational outreach to the public schools was one of the primary goals for this grant, and we are thrilled to be able to provide these experiences virtually or in person” Dr. Barton said. “I hope that these students will be able to see that the arts can provide opportunities for enrichment and enjoyment throughout their lives.”
