Reunion Brunch: A Fellows Update
Fellows (re)United! (Back, left to right) Ashley Frith, Luke Fatora, Zan Berry, Holly Dyer, AlexisMarie Nelson, Kamyron Williams, Jake Pietroniro, Rachel Panitch, Adrienne Taylor, and Fellowship Program Director Minna Choi; (Front, left to right) Chloë Kline, Kate Outterbridge, Hannah Ross, and Jason Amos. In June, Community MusicWorks reconnected with many members of our community in a spectacular 25th Season Reunion Concert at Dexter Park. As part of this joyous occasion, 15 alums from our Fellowship Program joined in the performance and reconnected with former students and colleagues. To cap the weekend-long celebration, fellows, staff, and friends gathered for an afternoon brunch on the back patio at our Westminster Street headquarters to hear the Fellows share updates on life and work.
Fellowship Program Director Minna Choi introduces the event. It was memorable and wonderful to have a gathering of Fellows from 2006 to the present day and reflect on how each of their contributions has impacted the making of our community over the past sixteen years of the Fellowship Program. We caught snapshots of the alums’ expanding their families, landing in new cities, exploring new hobbies, and changing directions in creative and professional lives, all while retaining music as part of their lives. Some highlights and updates from the CMW Fellows share include:
Holly Dyer (2020) recently left the Community MusicCenter of Boston as their Community Engagement Manager and is now working at the Longy School of Music as an Assistant Director of Student Services. Zan Berry (2018) works in Providence around homeless advocacy and creating opportunities for artists to connect, creating the PVD Cello Fest and performing with local ensemble Verdant Vibes. Hannah Ross (2016), also based in Providence, manages the RI Philharmonic Music School Community Partnerships program. Hannah was recently selected as a member of the second cohort of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative and looks forward to this incredible opportunity to learn from and collaborate with other BIPOC leaders across the state of Rhode Island. Jason Amos (2010), lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts, and balances careers in music and real estate.
Rachel Panitch (2009) (above) also based in the Boston area, spends her time with her two young kids, teaching (at musiConnects) performing, and composing music.
Kate Outterbridge (2017) (above) has hopped across the country to Los Angeles where she spends her time free-lancing, performing in a violin duo, and thinking up material for a recent exploration in stand-up comedy.
Adrienne Taylor (2010), Ashley Frith (2018) (above), and Chloë Kline (2008) have continued to work at CMW since their Fellowship, continually expanding and deepening their ideas and practice in their roles as Resident Musician and founder of the Daily Orchestra Program (Adrienne), Director of Racial Equity and Belonging (Ashley), and Education Director (Chloë).
Our most recent graduates Kamyron Williams and Jake Pietroniro (above) reflected on their experience these past two years during the pandemic and the unexpected silver linings. Jake is currently pursuing a doctorate in Viola Performance at the University of Alabama and Kamyron has joined the CMW staff as a Resident Musician. Liam Hopkins and Alexis Nelson, in the midst of their second year of their Alumni Fellowship, are involved with many different aspects of the organization, while sharing perspectives and experiences from their days as students at Community MusicWorks.
Ashley, Kate, and Jake share laughs and latte at the brunch. But there’s more! Many Fellowship Program graduates were not able to join us in June but are out there doing amazing things every day. We look forward to launching a Fellows Feature throughout this year, with an up-close look at what Fellowship alums are doing. Stay tuned for the first feature in our series coming soon! —Minna Choi, Fellowship Program Director Photos by Liz Cox and Minna Choi.
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