Clips/ Feature Article

Longmeadow Musician Makes Boston Symphony Debut
By Richard Trombly | Longmeadow News : March 1997

EXCERPT

In the program of the recent Boston Symphony Orchestra concert with James Galway, one of the pieces they performed was Corigliano's "Pied Piper's Fantasy."

This piece calls for several young flutists to appear in a choreographed segment. These flutists, who were chosen from among the best young musicians in Massachusetts, included Longmeadow high school wind ensemble member Sarah Paysnick.

The concerts on Thurs, March 27, Fri March 28, Sat, March 29, and Tues, April 1 will be led by John Williams.

Paysnick, a senior at Longmeadow high school, said that she was happy to be selected but she stressed that the young musicians have only a walk-on part.

Despite the seeming prestige of even a small role with the B.S.O., Sarah Paysnick has made many achievements. Paysnick said that her music career began in second grade with piano lessons. "I started playing, like so many other kids, only because my friends did. I didn't truly feel the draw of music until I heard my cousin playing violin. After that I wanted to join a band."

She has been playing the flute for eight years now. She has been a member of the Longmeadow wind ensemble and symphony orchestra for four years. She was made a principle in the senior district band and was in All-State and All-Eastern bands. The National High School Honors Orchestra named her as an alternate.

As a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Paysnick has been practicing with them every Sunday. Their 39th anniversary concert was at Boston Symphony Hall on March 29th at 2:00 p.m.

Under the direction of David Commanday, they performed Verdi's "Messa di Requiem."

She said that this orchestra was made up of an amazing group of student musicians and that their performance of Verdi was so moving that afterward she was left almost dazed.

"I thought to myself, 'What happend,'" she said. "When it all came together it flowed so wonderfully, so beautifully, I simply couldn't believe that this was a youth orchestra."

One disappointment for Paysnick, she said, was that to attend the National Concert Band Festival she had to miss All-State this year. But Paysnick said that she doesn't play for the accolades and that she finds the time she spends with the Longmeadow music program very rewarding.

"Our band has worked hard. We have come a long way," she said. "Over the years we have steadily progressed, but for the music festival we have put in so much extra practice. You can hear the difference from our December concert."

Music program director Michael Mucci said: "Sarah is an example of the sort of effort and dedication that is required of the students for our music program to have advanced to this level of performance. I don't know how they manage to do it."

She says that Mr. Mucci's dedication to the band and the students was a part of the force behind the band's and her own success.

"You couldn't ask for a better instructor," she said. "He is so devoted. He is often in four nights a week for rehearsals. That inspires us to work harder."

Mucci also instituted sectional practices for all of the students in the wind ensemble which are run by the student section leaders. Paysnick says that she likes the extra practices and the challenges it presents.

"I've learned so much by teaching," she said. "It is harder to teach a piece of music because you must know it so much better. You also have to know just how to word something."

Sarah said that she likes the music theory that she has learned in the music program. Mr. Mucci requested that each student practice just one piece of music, intensively for 15 minutes each day.

"When you play something so intensively you can dissect and actually get to know it. I enjoy finding the little details in music. Some pieces that I start out disliking, I end up loving once I know how they were composed," she said.

She spends so much time practicing every day and playing in so many ensembles. It would seem that there is no time for anything else in her life. She said that she doesn't feel like she is missing out on anything though.