By: Elizabeth Beilman

PROUD. There is no word that better describes our feelings about this year’s amazing team of interns. This year, 11 remarkable individuals are learning all manner of office functions, how to create programs, video editing, peer mentoring and event production. Every two weeks, we meet together to discuss the next group of events. When challenges arise, the answers are often suggested by these bright young students. They are responsive, resourceful and enthusiastic, and we could not have made the successful transition to this year without their diligent support.

I truly believe that their success as interns has a lot to do with their experience playing chamber music. After all, this art form relies on teamwork, creative thinking and interdependence. It stands to reason that these skills would transfer to other aspects of working life.

We are proud to feature two of our interns this month. Contributing articles are two brilliant young people. Eesha Barua is the viola player in the WCPE String Quartet and our lead Newsletter Intern. Supervised by NCCMI Board chair Waltye Rasulala, she managed a team of other individuals in creating a wonderful public speaking Guidebook, called “In the Spotlight.” We hope to get the guidebook published in order to help other young musicians learn how to present themselves in public, with confidence and conviction.

Hrishikesh Ram, pianist with the Harmonía Piano Quartet and son of Board Treasurer Ram Vedantham, will share his story about one of our most valued community partners, Church of the Nativity (COTN). It was at COTN that Rishi’s quartet earned an Honorable Mention in a national competition (Oct. 2020). Since NCCMI’s inception, COTN has provided us with space for our major events and recording sessions. And this past December, three ensembles made videos for multiple virtual church services. While Community Engagement events like these are a requirement of the NCCMI curriculum, playing at COTN is a real joy for our young artists. 

To all of our interns, we say “Bravo!”