Exploring and expanding the reach of new music in the wider community, The Rivers School Conservatory (RSC) has commissioned ten students from Boston University (BU) to write pieces for RSC students, which will premiere at the 2025 Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young.
Justin Casinghino, composition professor at Boston University and RSC faculty member, has the unique role of sharing proximity with students from both institutions. Casinghino was first introduced to the Seminar in 2013 as the head of a group commissioned at the time. He joined the RSC faculty the following year, teaching theory and composition as well as jazz composition.
Casinghino greatly admires the connection between RSC and the surrounding community through the Seminar and is very excited to be a part of it once again this year. “The performers at RSC themselves are the inspiration behind the compositions for the BU students. These pieces have been crafted with them in mind.”
The compositions have been in the works since the fall, and the pieces were delivered around mid-February. Casinghino reflected on the challenges he had as he helped his composition students overcome obstacles in this process. “One of the bigger struggles was making sure the students were really writing for the performers. College and graduate students may not have written for a younger level before,” he said. “Sometimes it is challenging to make sure you are capturing your voice as a composer while simultaneously writing at the appropriate level for the performer.”
When coaching a class of composition students on their work, Casinghino focuses on three levels. The first level is creativity. “How are their ideas developing, where are they coming from? What are they pulling from? How are these ideas being developed and communicated?” These are the questions he asks when judging a piece. The second, and perhaps the most important to Casinghino, is the structural level. “This is not just what the notes are, but more so how the piece happens over time. This is the level where I see the real artistry come from.” The final level is technique. He explains, “Technique for me, when teaching my BU students, is how the ideas come onto the page, because how they exist on the page is how the performer will have the opportunity to interpret it.”
Casinghino’s personal connection to the Seminar further strengthens his passion for its mission and his belief in the importance of contemporary music. “I have written for the Seminar several times as a composer. I have even had the chance to write a piece for one of my children to perform, which was a very special memory for me,” he recalls. “It is such an incredible project, because it introduces young performers to the idea of contemporary music, trying new things, and it helps them realize that contemporary music is all very approachable and not scary. Just walking up the staircase in Bradley and seeing all the faces it’s lined with that have played at the Seminar – I am so honored to be a part of that legacy.”
Katherine Shaw, a voice student at RSC, and a junior at The Rivers School will be performing one of the BU pieces. “Learning a new piece, especially a contemporary piece, is always exciting. I try my best to really understand the music and become familiar with the melody, the key, and any subtleties,” Katherine shared. “Whenever I’m given a new piece I work with my vocal instructor, Eve Budnick, and we go through the piece together. Once I understand how the piece flows, it becomes easier for me to proceed on my own and take my own liberties with the tone of the piece.”
Katherine remarked how excited she was when she first heard the piece. “I really connected with the harmony and how angelic it sounded. I loved how the lyrics originated in a Shakespeare play; this allowed me to connect my passion for his work to the new piece of art.” As Katherine was a finalist in the National Shakespeare competition last year, this piece felt specially crafted for her.
In this musical collaboration between college students and high school students, Katherine expressed her gratitude for connecting with the composer and having the opportunity to interact with the piece in a new way. “I believe the part that is most significant to me is how I know the composer, and I was able to talk and work with them to have a piece that I am excited and comfortable singing.”
Justin Casinghino and Katherine Shaw are both incredibly proud to be a part of this year’s Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young. This collaboration between BU and RSC students highlights the power of contemporary music to bridge generations and create meaningful artistic connections.
Article written by Suchi Patel