By Jayne Caron, ’10, The Lens Section Editor

Sophomore Domenic DiFrancesco has been playing violin since he was four years old and viola for four years. These musical abilities were put to the test this summer at a highly reputable music program hosted by the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  For four weeks in June and July, DiFrancesco played viola from sunup to sundown.

He played chamber music in four-instrument (viola, violin, cello, and base) ensembles and also participated in master symphony classes taught by members of the NSO. DiFrancesco practiced chamber music for about an hour each day, eventually performing a piece of chamber music on one of the smaller stages at the Kennedy Center. A much larger portion of his time was devoted to orchestra practices, which often lasted three hours at a stretch, where DiFrancesco played music by such notable composers as Igor Stravinsky, Antonin Dvorak, Mikhail Glinka, and Bela Bartok. Periodically, throughout the four weeks, musicians from the NSO would give talks about their lives and their passion for music. The young musicians were even given the opportunity to play alongside the members of the NSO on the large stage at the Kennedy Center during a practice. DiFrancesco says that the experience was “cool,” but also acknowledged that “you have to be able to play well because [otherwise] they won’t think of you as very good.”

DiFrancesco says that the program was a “really good experience because we got to learn from the people that we could become.” DiFrancesco heard about the program through an announcement at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he takes viola classes at a college level. The application process was very extensive, including a video requirement for the young musicians. Only two students from Ohio were chosen, and only 32 states were represented in the program.

Because of the enormous selectivity of the program, DiFrancesco had to work hard during his summer vacation. But he was also able to meet many interesting and important people in classical music, including the Maryland Symphony Orchestra’s conductor, Elizabeth Schulze. The program participants, who were housed in dormitories at George Washington University, also were able to experience Washington, D.C., including  watching the fireworks at the Lincoln Memorial on the Fourth of July and visiting important sites like the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Roosevelt Memorial.

For DiFrancesco, the most exciting experience of the entire program occurred at the end of the four weeks when he performed twice with the program’s orchestra on the big stage at the Kennedy Center where the NSO performs. DiFrancesco admits that the experience was both “nerve-wracking and exciting,” yet he is thankful to have been given the opportunity to perform with such talented people in such a large and reputable venue. BT

Header photo courtesy of Domenic DiFrancesco.