2025 FESTIVAL | June 8–15, 2025
BEMF Youth Ensemble, BEMF Beyond Borders & A String Fort Smith
Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 10am
NEC's Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
SPECIAL CONCERT—FREE and open to the public!
For this thrilling and once-in-history performance, which is free and open to the public, the BEMF Youth Ensemble, BEMF Beyond Borders—including ensembles from Boston, Brazil, and Taiwan—and A String Fort Smith join forces to present a fascinating program of Folk Music and music of the High Baroque.
The BEMF Youth Ensemble, directed by Julia McKenzie—featuring string and wind players in grades 3 to 12—offers a unique opportunity for students to learn early music performance techniques. With access to period instruments and bows, students learn stylistic and expressive conventions applied to well-known repertoire composed before 1800, as well as early folk music of diverse cultures, for a cross-cultural experience of the development of music over the centuries. A fun and stimulating learning environment includes hour-long sessions throughout the school year.
BEMF Beyond Borders, organized and conceived by 2025 directors Nina Stern and Cléa Galhano, is an international program featuring student recorder ensembles from several continents. Kenya, Brazil, Lebanon, Taiwan, The Netherlands, and the U.S. will be represented at the Festival. In addition to online connections between the students, visiting recorder ensembles from Brazil and Taiwan will rehearse and perform with American students throughout the Festival Week. Reaching out to a new generation of players, BEMF Beyond Borders expands our community by providing an opportunity for diverse groups of young players to perform with and for each other, and to celebrate their shared love of music.
A String Fort Smith, founded and directed by Lori Fay, is aimed at fostering excellence and unprecedented performing opportunities for high school– to college-aged students interested in pursuing careers in the performing arts. The ensemble consists of the most advanced students from Fort Smith, Arkansas—approximately fifteen to twenty participants per semester—who make a commitment to rehearse for one hour once per week. The repertoire selected for A String Fort Smith comprises primarily unabridged works, which students might not otherwise be exposed to in a typical school setting.
All participating students—in the BEMF Youth Ensemble, BEMF Beyond Borders, and A String Fort Smith—are offered free access to BEMF operas, concerts, concurrent events, and the BEMF Exhibition.