Kayla Gullage, then a junior at James Monroe High School, was watching YouTube videos of chamber music groups one day and thought, why don’t we have one of these?
Two years later, Gullage, a violinist, is heading off to the Rochester Institute of Technology on a performing arts scholarship, but the Chamber Orchestra she founded as a result of that thought is thriving and will carry on after she graduates.
The entirely student-led Chamber group has performed for the community events such as meetings of the Fredericksburg Rotary Club and the school division’s Superintendent Community Roundtable.
The group Gullage has put together — which includes herself and Makenna Hine on violin; Emily Dizabella on cello; Adonai Annor and Jaden Lee on viola; and Liam Roberts on bass — is passionate about sharing music with the community and about the bonds they form through performing together as a small group.
“A lot of people like music, but to make music come to life and to trust people to do that with me—that’s what I love,” said Annor, who is one of two musicians Gullage has chosen to be Chamber Masters after she graduates.
Roberts, Annor’s Co-Chamber Master, echoes this enthusiasm about the opportunities the group provides him to grow as a musician.
“I like seeing what makes the music what it is,” he said. “[Chamber] gives me a chance to discuss the nitty-gritty of music with people who are close to me.”
Gullage said she walked into the orchestra room at James Monroe High School one day while Roberts was in the middle of practicing a Bach cello suite. She didn’t know Roberts, but she walked up to him and said, “Hi, do you want to join chamber?”
Roberts, who plans to become a professional musician, said he didn’t hesitate to accept.
Gullage employed this same strategy to assemble the rest of the group.
“I hunted people down!” she said.
The students try to practice at least twice a week, either after school or during their flex time. Gullage said she pulled some 45 pieces of music for them to work on this year and they ended up perfecting six, including “Dublin,” a challenging piece for advancing performers by composer Bob Phillips.
Gullage has high expectations for the group — “Everybody in Chamber is capable of so much more [than they think],” she said — but the group is also open to anyone who wants to join.
“As long as you are willing to listen, learn, and grow,” she said.
The success of the group depends on the members’ ability to work together and support each other, Gullage said — both during practice and in life.
Though she has been the group leader, she acknowledges that she’s not good at keeping time, so she’s relied on Roberts to help her count off at the beginning of each piece. Other members provide input into dynamics and bowing.
“You rely on each other to keep the group together,” Gullage said. “That extends to the music. You have to cheer everyone. It’s about listening to and appreciating each other.”
With both violinists graduating this year, Annor and Roberts have slots to fill, but they’re enthusiastic about carrying Chamber forward next year and in the years to come.
“My goal is to expand it and reach more people with it,” Annor said. “I want the group to be more dynamic and make the music speak to people even more.”
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
