The prestigious Philadelphia International Music Camp and Festival awarded the Alice Downs Scholarship for Young Violinists to Henry Gralish, 12, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, who used it in July to immerse himself in PIMF’s intensive classical music training program on the grounds of the Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, PA.
“Hearing how people around me played in the orchestra, and how they THINK in my lessons, it helped so much,” Gralish said. “I got better at sightreading music, and once you do that, you learn music faster and combined together, it’s all making me better and more efficient when I practice.”
While Gralish’s goal at PIMF was to experience playing in a full orchestra and to improve his skills as a violist, he found the reality of a seat in the Senior Orchestra with high school and college students at the outset a bit daunting, calling the repertoire “probably the most difficult music he’s ever played.”
“But it’s really great to be around a lot of people who are better than I am, so many people who are so skilled and so good,” said Gralish. “To see how quickly these other players can learn a piece that seemed kind of overwhelming at first. It’s really amazing to see all those people who are so, so good, just doing what they do best, in their element.”
Over 200 instrumental music students ages 8 through 19 travel to the Main Line from all over the nation and the world for the opportunity to learn from members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and other distinguished musicians. Gralish took private lessons with Philadelphia Orchestra violist Marvin Moon and with Hannah Nicholas, Principal Viola of the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra.
Gralish feels the experience expanded his approach to technical challenges.
“If I showed them a spot in a piece that I’m having trouble with, they have great answers to the problem that would be completely different,” said Gralish. “It’s so cool to be able to learn how they think, and then combine their ideologies, how they play, how they practice, and then use that to better myself.”
The Alice Downs Scholarship in honor of Valma Lock Hunter was established by her son, David Hunter, Publisher at Haddonfield media company The Gumnut Group, LLC. The select scholarship is open only to a promising student of the violin or viola residing in Camden, Gloucester, or Burlington County in New Jersey.
