Jess Turner

In the Presence of Greatness
at the Tanglewood
Institute

– By Jesseca Turner –

For most of us, summer conjures up images of sunsets, relaxing by the pool, neighborhood barbeques, and unforgettable memories. However, spending the summer in Lenox, Mass., is a completely different sort of experience, one that is equally enriching and unforgettable in its own unique way.

A quaint little New England town in the winter, Lenox turns into a cultural mecca during the summer months as visitors from up and down the East Coast and beyond flock to the Berkshires to take in the beautiful natural surroundings and be enriched by the arts. Just minutes away from Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, are Jacob’s Pillow, a summer dance festival for pre-professional and professional dancers from around the world, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) for young artists.

As a student at the Institute this summer, I’ve been able to immerse myself in the unique artistic atmosphere. One weekday I walked down to Tanglewood from the campus, sat on the lawn with hundreds of others picnicking in front of the main performance shed on the Tanglewood grounds, gazed up at the stars, and listened as Joshua Bell, the world famous violinist, played through Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 1 with masterful style and grace. One Saturday, I returned to watch and listen as Yo-Yo Ma performed a Dvoräk cello concerto, and on Sunday, I listened to one of my own compositions being performed by my peers.

On that note (no pun intended), it’s amazing to be in the presence of so many talented high school musicians. In my six weeks here, I’ve been making note of their names, as I’m sure many of them will be in professional orchestras in a few years. As a young composer, being around talented, hard working, motivated musicians is extremely rewarding. It’s easy to get more and more enamored with writing music once I hear my pieces played live by talented peers and professional musicians.

Just the other day, one of my pieces was read and recorded by the Triton Brass Quintet, one of the most successful and praised brass quintets in the country. Such relationships with professional musicians are not rare at Tanglewood. While I’ve been here, members of the BUTI orchestra were allowed to attend a private Q & A session with Joshua Bell set up just for them. In addition, many of the teachers are members of professional orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony.

My composition teacher, Professor Martin Amlin, is an esteemed composer and pianist who has written pieces for musicians in many symphony orchestras and has won a number of prestigious prizes. In addition, he has recorded CDs of his own music that have received stellar reviews and has been a soloist with the Boston Pops Symphony and other professional groups. I’m tremendously lucky to be able to study under him and have learned so much just being around him.

Spending the summer at the Tanglewood Institute has been a rewarding and enriching experience for me as an aspiring young composer, and I highly recommend spending time in the Berkshires for anyone who wants to experience a creative, cool atmosphere during the hot summer months.

- Rye Record - Jesseca Turner

A Lyrical Way to Remember

– By Robin Jovanovich –

After reading an article about how area families remember those they lost in the Sept. 11 attacks, Jesseca Turner couldn't stop thinking about the one little boy who, every year on that day, releases a white balloon, tied with a note to his father, into the sky. Jess, as she is called, started writing lyrics about it and, last fall, recorded “Dust Angels” in memory of all who were lost that day.

“When I composed it, I was trying to find a haunting, yet beautiful sound, something that expressed sorrow but was hopeful at the same time,” said Jess, a junior at Rye High School. She's hoping that her ballad will make a difference in the lives of Rye families, and has reached out to the Rye Sept. 11 Memorial Committee, which is raising funds to build a bridge across Blind Brook and memorial on the Village Green.

Jess says she could easily get a group of RHS students involved to make a DVD slide show of the artwork they created for the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, with “Dust Angels” as the background music. “There are a number of really talented musicians at Rye High who may also want to make musical contributions."

At Rye High, Jess is a member of the orchestra and quartet. She's also co-editor of Zephyr. She plays in the Greater Westchester Youth Orchestra, which recently performed another of her compositions, “Hourglasses.” It was a proud moment for her because it was the first time the orchestra had performed the work of a student.

An accomplished cellist and pianist, Jess also sings, plays the guitar and writes classical music. “I have about 15 pieces of music in my head all the time,” she says brightly. As a child, she'd come home from school and go straight to the piano and write songs, says her mother, Jeri, who played in a baroque quartet as a young woman. “I encouraged Jess to follow her heart and do what she loved, and she does.”

The poised 16-year-old also dances with NewDance and assists director Edwin Lee Gibson with the Rye Arts Center theater program over the summer. Last summer, she was one of seven (and the only girl) accepted into Northwestern University's composition program. Last week, she was thrilled to learn that she's been accepted into the Tanglewood Institute's composition program. “It's going to be a challenge, but I'm definitely up for it. I hope to grow a lot as a composer while I'm there this summer.”



- Rye Record