Deerfield Holds Third Annual Homegrown Concert

From piano keys to her original compositions, on April 11th and 14th, Deerfield Academy held its third annual Homegrown Concert, featuring members of the Deerfield Orchestra, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and various student soloists. The program began with performances in the Elizabeth Wachsman Concert Hall and then transitioned to the main lobby of the Hess Center for the Arts. Unlike previous years, the concert was scheduled during Spring Family Weekend rather than in May.

This year’s concert included student compositions by Andy Chen ’25, Dasha Lukyanenko ’25, Vivian Wan ’25, and Leo Ma ’25, along with performances from Senior Concerto Competition winners Sophie Petronzio ’25 and Managing Editor for the Scroll Yoonsa Lee ’25.

The Homegrown Concert provides Deerfield artists with an opportunity to showcase their creativity. “It’s really a chance for us to lift up our most creative musicians and artistic leaders in the music program,” Director of Music Tom Bergeron emphasized. “The Homegrown Concert always happens in the spring, so not only do we see the growth just musically, but also technically over the years.”

Collaborating across seven ensembles with over 100 students in the Academy, the concert members worked together to deliver a complete performance. Mr. Bergeron praised the orchestra as a “wonderfully committed group of musicians,” despite having only a “limited rehearsal time with less than 90 minutes of time together each week.”

While working on his Symphony No. 1, Chen faced the challenge of adjusting his score to match the current orchestra lineup. Written initially with last year’s orchestra in mind, he “had to change around a couple of instruments.” An injured tuba player also led to a last-minute change, but Chen explained that the bigger challenge was finding the confidence to translate his vision into written notes.

Senior Petronzio chose to sing Laurie’s Song from Aaron Copland’s 1954 opera The Tender Land because of the connection she felt with Laurie, who is also about to graduate. “I saw a lot of myself in her, and I realized that I, too, wanted to pursue more than just what I’ve known in the little bubble of where I grew up,” Petronzio said. As Petronzio’s first time working with the orchestra as a soloist, she faced challenges in executing her song. “Honestly, it was very scary. At first, I was worried I’d...miss a note and then mess up the rhythm, but the orchestra was really solid, and after working through things with them a couple times, I felt really confident,” Petronzio said.

Lee decided to participate in the competition late in the process, performing Bruch’s Romanze, the first piece she learned on the viola. In preparation, she rehearsed with Piano Studio Director Yu-Mei Wei and Music Lesson Instructor Anthony Berner. “I brought this piece back to life pretty last minute...It was really helpful that I already did my senior recital in February,” Lee reflected.

Instead of playing as the First Chair Violist, Lee performed as a soloist in this event, which required adjustments to her performance. “When I was performing with the orchestra, I was more conscious of staying really on time...[but] there are lots of places where I have lower notes that are fast, and I needed to make those really clear, especially if I want to be heard over eight other people in the orchestra,” Lee explained.

Chen discussed the need to learn different musical interpretations for different instruments accordingly. “I’m starting to realize more and more that writing for an orchestra is almost like I am trying to speak in 15, 16 different languages...[there is] a difference between what I have in my mind when I communicate in my sheet music, and then what Mr. Bergeron sees in the sheet music,” he said.

Through exploring their pieces, performers reflected on their Deerfield experience and discovered new aspects of themselves. Petronzio felt that she gained flexibility that would support her future path. “I think a lot of people at Deerfield come in thinking that they have one set path in their mind for how they want their future to go...Similar to [Copland’s character] Laurie, I realized that there are so many different ways you can accomplish your goals,” she said.

The Homegrown Concert has also enabled performers to achieve not only personal growth but also to improve their musical technique. “Four years ago, I didn’t even put on the viola...I think why I was so proud of this particular performance was because by the time I went up on stage, I didn’t feel that nervous,” Lee reflected.

Chen further expressed appreciation for the composition process and for the orchestra that brought his Symphony to life. “I’m really grateful...that before I graduate high school, I got to see my work performed,” he said.

Looking ahead to future events, Mr. Bergeron hopes that by continuing to hold music performances such as the Homegrown Concert, they can “help students see the wider spectrum of ways to harness music’s transformative power.”