Eric Klaxton

January 31, 2023January 31, 2022

Eric Klaxton (saxophone, jazz piano, composition, audio production) earned his BA in Saxophone Performance at the University of New Hampshire in 2011 and completed his Masters Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music from Longy School of Music in the spring of ‘22. Notably, he has studied saxophone with Noah Preminger and Bill McHenry, as well as … Read more

From First-Years to Faculty

Audrey Budington and Liz Faiella Feature, March 2023Audrey Budington and Liz Faiella both claim to have “practically lived at the Music School” when they were younger. Before they assumed their current roles as leaders within the folk department, they each wandered the halls, fiddles in hand, buzzing from lessons to ensembles as long-time CCMS students. We were able to speak with Audrey and Liz about their experiences as students at CCMS, and their unique pathways that brought them back to be Music School faculty members:Talk about how you first got into music. Who were your influences? Was your family musical?Audrey: My mom said when I was about two, we were listening to the NH classical radio station and there was a beautiful violin concerto playing and I was like ‘that’s the instrument I’m going to play!’ Two years later the interest hadn’t gone away, so my mom figured we should give it a shot. So they rented a violin for me and I started playing. I grew up around a lot of Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, so I guess I’ve been really folky for a long time.Liz: My parents love music, both classical and folk, but neither really do much in the way of playing. The main thing they did was help me and (my brother) Dan love music ourselves. They would also take us to lots of contra dances growing up with a homeschool group, as well as fiddle contests at Eagle Square in Concord which were really influential for me.Was fiddle your first instrument? Did you ever try others?Audrey: It was for a little bit, but eventually I wanted to take piano as well. I don’t like being competitive with the things I love, so when my piano teacher started suggesting I do competitions, I stopped. But it has remained my main composing instrument because you have everything at your disposal.Liz: My parents started me on piano when I was five, but I was begging for a violin and I got one when I was eight. My parents were super interested in finding opportunities for (me and my brothers) to experience music of all sorts and gravitate towards whatever we connected with. I also really love singing and I would sing in the church choir growing up and eventually in a chorus at the Music School. I’ve found that the human voice is really close to the violin so it’s been really helpful for me to have that be a part of my life from the beginning. Talk about your experience as a student at CCMS. Who did you study with? Were you involved with any ensembles? Audrey: I studied classical violin with Bozena O’Brien from when I was four until I was almost through high school, and then with Rodger Ellsworth. I was in a lot of ensembles led by David Surette. When I was younger there were two folk ensembles; one with more traditional instruments and another with electric guitars, me on fiddle, and a kid on saxophone. I was also in a jazz ensemble led by David Tonkin. I pretty much just lived at the Music School.Liz: I think I was 10 when I started taking both piano and violin lessons at CCMS. I don’t think there was a fiddle teacher at that time, so I was focusing mostly on classical music and classical violin. I started off with Judy Seaton who was this angelic person who was supportive of my fiddling and focused on helping me play what I loved but also building a strong foundation. She really set the tone for me of what the Music School was. I eventually moved over to Rodger Ellsworth and he really pushed me and challenged me, and I also joined an ensemble that he was leading which was great. It was around that time that I also encountered David Surette; I never took any lessons with him, but he welcomed me into playing at folk recitals with Dan and being able to explore that. How did your time at CCMS influence your career/musical journey?Audrey: I literally would not have done the things that I have done. I wouldn’t have gone to Berklee, and I wouldn’t have the courage to write music if it weren’t for people like David Surette. I think a lot of people pick up an instrument and play for a little while and then life gets in the way and they say ‘I always loved doing that’ but they never come back to it. If it weren’t for the Music School, I don’t know if I would have come back to it, and it would have been a gigantic regret.Liz: CCMS left me with such a positive feeling towards music and I think that’s not a given. A lot of people I’ve worked with musically have talked about mildly traumatizing experiences they had with judgments involved or they were forced into doing something they didn’t really want to do. What the Music School did well for me was support my passions and what I was really interested in musically and a general sense of ‘we are helping you experience this joyful, beautiful thing.’ What have been some highlights of your music career to this point?Audrey: The band Darlingside came to CCMS when I was a sophomore or junior in high school and the youth folk ensemble got to do a masterclass with them which was really fun. We also got to open for Black Violin because of CCMS and its connection with the Capitol Center for the Arts. And I also got to do a semester abroad at Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain and that shaped a lot of my personal growth and confidence.Liz: Some of my favorite collaborations have been with people I’ve met through the Music School. It’s been an amazing opportunity that Dan and I have had to play together, and we connected with David Surette and did a lot of playing together. One […]
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Miss Julieann Goes to the GRAMMYs

Julieann Hartley Feature, February 2023Have you ever watched the GRAMMY Awards and wondered how the winners are determined? Meet Julieann Hartley: regionally renowned children’s recording artist and music therapist, and one of the newest members of the Recording Academy, the international body of music professionals that votes for the GRAMMY Awards. Thanks to her debut album “Therapeutic Songs for Kids,” and recommendations from Academy members, “Miss Julieann” joined the invitation-only group with a mind to help bring diversity to the children’s music scene. “I noticed a lack of diversity in children’s music nominees year after year and it didn’t seem reflective of the field overall,” she notes.While voting for GRAMMY award winners is a perk of being a Recording Academy member, it is only a part of what membership entails. The larger piece is being a part of a peer network and improving the field of recording. As a member, Miss Julieann aims to improve the field by strengthening diversity and improving access to all, including those with disabilities. “When you are part of the Recording Academy, you are part of an international music community,” says Hartley. “Yes, I’m one of Concord, New Hampshire’s local music therapists, but through this organization, my name is known internationally as well.”Even more remarkable is that Miss Julieann was selected to the prestigious Academy while enduring a tremendous medical hardship, battling a rare primary immune disease resulting in hypogammaglobulinemia brought on by a neurological lyme infection. As someone who hiked the Appalachian Trail and spent her days working with children, enduring this condition and being on two years of bedrest was truly “a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.” Aside from applying and being accepted to the Recording Academy, Miss Julieann used this time of great uncertainty to develop her next album entitled “The Resilient Child,” which focuses on building coping skills and resilience in children, especially those that have faced trauma and abuse. “What got me through the hardest days of this neurological infection was thinking about this Resilient Child project. That became my ‘why’ to get through the darkest moments, hoping to move this industry in a way that will be more impactful for kids.”Not only did Miss Julieann cast her vote for this year’s GRAMMY winners, but she will also be attending the event in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5. Upon returning from Los Angeles, Hartley will be the featured speaker at the February Bach’s Lunch lecture on February 16, sharing her insight on how music can be used to develop emotional and physical resilience using basic music therapy principals.
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A Musical Home

“A Musical Home” – Laurette Nepa Student Feature, December 2022If you come to Concord Community Music School, there’s a decent chance you’ll run into Laurette Nepa. It might be in the recording studio during her audio engineering lessons with faculty member Eric Klaxton. Or maybe in the back stairway, practicing her vocal repertoire in one of the lesser-known rich acoustic spaces in the building. It may even be in the kitchen while she’s grabbing a quick snack. But wherever you bump into her, two things will be hard to ignore: her effervescent spirit, and her love of CCMS.“This is my home,” she says, beaming. “This place is a safe-haven for me, and I have so many memories of the Music School.”Born in central Africa to Congolese and Rwandese parents, Nepa and her family escaped genocide in her homeland and came to New Hampshire as refugees when she was just two years old. Her family wasn’t particularly musical, but she remembers listening to contemporary Christian, American gospel, and African music throughout her childhood. And when her second-grade teacher heard her singing in music class, she told Nepa and her parents about the opportunities available at the Music School. In a matter of weeks, she was a member of the Purple Finches Youth Chorus, thanks in large part to the financial assistance that was made available. “As refugees coming to this country, it was tumultuous in my home growing up,” admits Nepa. “When things were rough at home, I was able to come here and forget about it, and that was my healing.”She discovered the power of music early at CCMS, and its ability to transcend any cultural and language barriers that emerged. “There are a lot of people who don’t speak French or Swahili, but when I sing to them in French or Swahili, they feel the power.” She sang with the Purple Fiches until she aged out of the group but continued to work with faculty leader Maria Isaak for audition preparation in the years that followed.Nepa currently works at the state psychiatric hospital, and aside from boosting spirits by singing to patients, she knows that music will be a part of her life forever. She is fine-tuning her skillset in audio engineering, working towards a journalism degree at Colorado Christian University, and saving her money for an eventual move to Los Angeles. Her dream is to work in entertainment: singing, acting, or interviewing people with stories to tell. “People have so much to say and I feel like my generation doesn’t just sit and listen,” notes Nepa.Nepa is quick to credit her mentors at CCMS for encouraging her and preparing her for her impending move out West. She draws inspiration from founder Peggy Senter as an example of “how powerful it is to have a vision,” and knows she will be prepared when she lands in LA. Most of all, she is excited for the time she is in a position to give back to CCMS and pay forward the support she received as a student. “There are so many opportunities at the Music School,” says Nepa. “I’m so thankful for the teachers here, and that they give their time after all these years.”
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March 2

March 2 @ 12:10 pm - 12:50 pm

Bach’s Lunch Lecture: The Guitar in Irish Music – Influences and Evolutions

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March 9

March 9 @ 12:10 pm - 12:50 pm

Bach’s Lunch Concert: Celtic Celebration – A Flurry of Folk Tunes from a Living Tradition

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March 17

March 17 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Student Recitals – 7 pm and 8 pm

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March 23

March 23 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

CCMS Jazz Evening: Up Jumped Spring

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Audio Production

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