String Workshop

The Loudoun Symphony Association announces the appointment of Dr. Dana Eckensburg McCarthy as conductor of the Loudoun String Workshop, an educational program of the Loudoun Symphony Association, Inc. She replaces Ron Dillard, who served in this position for four seasons, from 2001 through 2005. Dana Eckensburg McCarthy is currently the Orchestra Director at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia. A native of Long Island, she earned a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestra Conducting from Michigan State University, a Master of Music Degree in Orchestra Conducting and French Horn Performance from East Carolina University, and a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from Ithaca College. She served as Music Director of Musical Theatre Productions and the Philharmonic Orchestra while at Michigan State University and has guest conducted the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra of Woodbridge, Virginia, and the Monroe Symphony in Louisiana. She has participated in workshops under the tutelage of top conductors and remains active as a horn player with the Riverside Wind Symphony and Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra.

The cornerstone of the Symphony's educational program is the Loudoun String Workshop. The String Workshop is a multi-generational student ensemble. Musicians of all ability levels are welcomed by more experienced members of the Loudoun Community Orchestra and several professional musicians from the Loudoun Chamber Symphony. The workshop meets weekly at the same location and just prior to the Community Orchestra and Chamber Symphony rehearsals, allowing the students to participate in a "real" orchestra and to observe the more advanced groups that rehearse after. Not only do they benefit from their own hands-on experience with their instruments, but they are also exposed to the workings of a symphony orchestra from the inside.

Many students who participate in the Loudoun String Workshop study their instruments privately. They may take weekly lessons and participate in occasional recitals. But the workshop offers them something that they cannot get one-on-one or in a small group -- ensemble experience. Music is a group activity and a very cooperative venture. The string workshop frequently has as many as 30 members on stage, each playing his or her own part while listening to others and watching the conductor for information about not only when to play, but also how. Ideally, the musicians become one, offering their own unique interpretation of the music. The ensemble experience teaches that, by working together, the whole quickly exceeds the sum of its parts to create a gratifying, exhilarating experience for the musicians.

The Loudoun String Workshop can be heard in performance as part of the pre-concert program that the Symphony presents. The pre- concert programs begin with the String Workshop one hour before the scheduled concert, followed by the pre-concert lecture. String Workshop performances are free to all concert ticket holders.