Adele Ohki

Small Ensembles, Big Impact: The Power of Junior Chamber Music Programs

A junior string chamber music program implemented in a school-based environment offers the benefit of significant musical, cognitive, and social interactions. Several programs in the U.S. (Chamber Music Centre of NY, Kneisel Hall)  and in other places overseas (Guildhall, Oxford, Verbier) have successfully implemented junior chamber music programs, and they have showcased effective models for fostering young musicianship and collaboration. There is no reason we can’t do this in Australia and embed it in private/public schools!

When studying chamber music, students develop enhanced ensemble skills, improved intonation, and dynamic awareness whilst also honing their listening and problem-solving abilities. The opportunity for students to work in small chamber groups can also foster collaboration, leadership, and confidence. Exposure to a broad repertoire deepens musical understanding, and the experience often sparks a lifelong passion for music.

In our discussion we will talk about how students can set realistic goals that are reflected in their progress and which can help to refine their ensemble skills. I will emphasize the importance of weekly rehearsals to practise ensemble parts as a group, combined with targeted techniques which we can use to model non-verbal communication within the group, which in turn can help grow confidence and cohesion within the ensemble. Chamber music offers the opportunity to explore diverse genres, and we will talk about how to target and arrange pieces that can work for this level.
A junior chamber music program equips students with technical expertise, teamwork, and a deep appreciation for music, enriching their personal lives, and setting the stage for leadership in larger ensembles.

About Adele Ohki

Adele Ohki is an accomplished violinist with a broad and diverse musical career. After spending 25 years in the United States, she has recently returned to Australia. Born and raised in Canberra, Adele grew up in a musically enriched environment, beginning her violin studies at the Canberra School of Music with Vincent Edwards.

Throughout her childhood, Adele earned numerous scholarships and awards, leading her to further her studies in the United States under Charles Castleman at the Eastman School of Music. She holds Masters degrees in both modern and baroque violin performance from Northwestern University and Boston University. As a soloist, she has performed in masterclasses and concerts at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, working closely with Alice Waten, James Buswell and Wanda Wilkomirska. Adele has developed a successful freelance career, performing with prestigious ensembles in Australia and worldwide, including the Boston Opera and Ballet orchestras, the Portland Symphony, and the Vermont Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra and Goteborg Opera orchestras in Sweden, and more recently in the Australian Opera and Australian Haydn orchestras.

Adele is deeply committed to music education and has worked as a visiting artist and mentor at the El Sistema program at the Boston Conservatory Lab Charter School, and as an adjudicator for the Sydney Eisteddfod. She currently serves as the Head of Strings at Newington College, where she continues to inspire and shape young musicians.