The String Academy Gala Spring Concert of May 22 included a world premier musical play composed by the Violin Virtuosi II entitled Lost and Ellie Found. Since all group classes have been online for the past 14 months, playing as an ensemble has not been possible. The VV II came up with the idea of creating a musical play that could be presented over Zoom, inspired by two previous musical plays written by Lauren Bernofsky and performed this past year – The House of Untold Horrors and The First Snow. It was a fascinating creative process. First, a story plot had to be realized and it needed a form. We came up with an introduction, a plot with tension, a resolution and a coda, very similar to the sonata allegro form. Sound effects were created to go along with the story line. Finally, a real piece was composed note by note and phrase by phrase. (Thank you to Lauren Bernofsky for her invaluable input.) It was certainly a joint effort and I applaud the VV II. We hope you will enjoy Lost and Ellie Found!
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