Experimental film pieces to debut at Vermont Youth Orchestra’s winter concert “¡La Fiesta!”
Vermont Business Magazine The Emergent Media Center (EMC) at Champlain College, in collaboration with the Vermont Youth Orchestra (VYO) and Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO), is debuting two experimental film pieces during the winter concert, “¡La Fiesta!” conducted and programmed by Dr. Mark Alpízar at the Flynn Theater on Sunday, February 5. The combination of the students’ original film work and the orchestral music expands storytelling in the arts. The local partnership began in the spring of 2022, aspiring to create an engaging experience for young musicians and artists.
"We chose Champlain because their students have unique insights and excellent training in creating visual displays,” said Elise Brunelle, VSO Executive Director. “Auditory and visual experiences go hand in hand. We wanted to see how students interpret the music we play and augment our audience's experience by creating something unique to watch.”
The collaboration empowered EMC students to lead a client-based, hands-on project related to their future careers and industry while getting paid. From learning how to respond to client feedback to navigating multiple types of cameras to video editing technology and queuing visuals to a live event using industry-level software, students gained the necessary skills that make them ready for work.
“Working on this project through the EMC has been a good opportunity to explore the film industry before graduation,” said Sam Simpson, senior Filmmaking major at Champlain. “We really pushed the boundaries of the creative environment we were working within, and had great mentorship from the EMC staff and our faculty advisor.”
Champlain has signed a three-year contract with VSO to continue building on this year’s work. Media is invited to attend the rehearsal on Sunday, February 5, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at the Flynn, located at 153 Main St, Burlington, VT. Emergent Media Center students, Vermont Youth Orchestra soloists, and staff will be available for interviews. If interested in attending, contact Anna Barbati at [email protected].
About Champlain College: Founded in 1878, Champlain College is a small, not-for-profit, private college in Burlington, Vermont, with additional campuses in Montreal, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain offers a traditional undergraduate experience from its beautiful campus overlooking Lake Champlain and more than 90 residential undergraduate and online undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificates. Champlain’s distinctive career-driven approach to higher education embodies the notion that true learning occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain ranks in multiple categories of U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges,” including Best Value Schools, Best Colleges in the North, Best Colleges for Veterans, and Top Performers on Social Mobility. Champlain was also listed among The Princeton Review’s “The Best 388 Colleges” in 2023 and was recognized as a 2022 College of Distinction for its “Engagement, Teaching, Community, and Outcomes.” For more information, visit www.champlain.edu.
