It’s a little before the busy ruh of lunch at Southwest Elementary School in Durham, but when the familiar strains of the Harry Potter theme float quietly over a chattering crowd of third graders, a magical hush falls over the assembly. 

All of a sudden, a sterile school gym is transformed into a luxurious music hall. The echoing chords of the cello create a sense of highbrow culture, like you’re sitting in a velvet-draped box. But of course, just by being here, the four musicians at the front of the gym are showing eight- and nine-year-olds that anyone can enter the enchanting world of music.

“The school visits really pulled me in, because that was something that helped me explore music when I was a kid,” says violinist Jose Olea Vico. “It’s always super-rewarding when you see the sparkles in their eyes when they recognize Harry Potter or Star Wars.”

Vico is one of four fellows who was hired this year by the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle (COT). He’s a Durham local, but the other fellows come from various professional gigs across North and South America, from Chicago to Venezuela. The fellowship, which started in early September, is designed to support the careers of young Black and Latinx musicians, as well as connect local schoolchildren with orchestral music. 

“There was this huge need for live music in schools,” says Niccoló Muti, principal conductor and executive director of COT. “And considering the diversity of the region, both racially and ethnically, we knew that whatever we wanted to do, we wanted to address that. If you look at American orchestras in general, there’s a huge underrepresentation of minorities.”

Just the presence of the Durham fellows in schools can help show students that a career in classical music “is possible for people from all walks of life, and from all cultures and ethnicities,” says Muti. “And some of these kids might have a cousin or a brother or a sister who is around the age of the fellows, so it makes it much more personal and real for them.”

Vico—along with violinist Timothy Parham, viola player Julius Adams, and cello player Beideth Briceno—have been visiting schools in Orange and Durham Counties regularly throughout the year. Their January visit to Southwest Elementary School was their second, and students eagerly welcomed them back by shouting out the names of instruments and the meaning of some musical terms. 

To the students at participating schools, “forte” means waving their hands around like crazy, making “loud” (but silent) movements. Likewise, “piano” is a subdued, curled-up motion they do when the volume of the music drops to a whisper. The interactive performance helps students remember and understand musical concepts, says music teacher Markiss Barnes. 

“It creates an extension of what we learn in our classroom,” Barnes says, “a lot of times we’re able to talk about string instruments but not actually have them in front of the kids to experience them.”

Fellows with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle perform for children at a local elementary school. Photo by Angelica Edwards.

The fellows’ presentations, to small classrooms and large assemblies, will culminate in a concert in March, when students will be bused to the Carolina Theatre of Durham to hear full versions of the musical snippets they’ve been learning about. That March education concert isn’t open to the public, but the Durham fellows are joining the orchestra for various performances through May, including “MOZART” on Feb. 17 and 18 at the Durham Arts Council and “In the Classical Style” on March 17 at the Carolina Theatre of Durham. (Check the calendar on COT’s website for more information.)

For their part, thanks to the fellows, when students sit in the Carolina Theatre’s expansive concert hall, they’ will recognize Strauss and the way it tells a story. 

“This is the big part of our quartet, where our characters get into a fight,” viola player Adams explained to the students earlier this month. 

“At the top of the page it says ‘climax,’ that’s where we are in the music. While we play, I want you to draw what you think your characters are doing …. [And] when you come to see us at the Carolina Theatre in March, I want you to remember how music can inspire your imagination.”

Follow Staff Writer Jasmine Gallup on Twitter or send an email to [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].   

Support independent local journalism. 

Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle.