Alaina Chester
Online Residency at Weinberg Terrace (PA)
September 2020 - May 2021
Before the pandemic hit, the collaborative chamber group I was part of, Ears Engaged, had planned a residency with Weinberg Terrace, a Jewish senior assisted living community in Pittsburgh. Ears Engaged was part of Iris Music Project's musician training program. Iris Music Project is a grassroots organization that cultivates collaborative relationships between residents of healthcare communities, caregivers and professional musicians. They are helping interested musicians replicate their performance/residence model across the country.
Luckily, our residency was able to continue online. We created monthly interactive/themed concerts performed live over Zoom or streamed, short videos called Musical Moments three times a week, and did one-on-one zoom calls with a few of their residents every week. It was a great experience curating so many concerts for one community, learning how to edit videos and record ourselves remotely. Of course having to work solely online came with many challenges, but I feel lucky we were able to relate to others through music and accomplish what we did during such a hard year.
Flute, Theresa Abalos
Clarinet, Christopher (CJ) Corbett
Bassoon, Casey Stamm
Piano, Casey Stamm
Here are some highlights!
Thanksgiving Video:
Sukkot:
Our rendition of Bai Mir Bistu Shén:
Snow by Irving Berlin:
An example of one of my Musical Moments, 'Waltz of the Flowers':
Listen to more videos and concerts on Ears Engaged's YouTube!