The stars are lining up for what should be a magnificent senior year for Huntington High School’s Julien Rentsch.
The teenager is in the midst of a great run through high school, excelling in all of his studies and activities and polishing his reputation as one of the top young musicians in the state.
Huntington High School senior Julien Rentsch.
Mr. Rentsch recently returned from a three-week summer program at the University of Rochester’s highly regarded Eastman School of Music. “Julien was one of just six composition students accepted in to the program,” said Eric Reynolds, Huntington UFSD’s director of fine and performing arts.
Two of Mr. Rentsch’s original compositions were completed and performed as part of the program. “Forbidden Fruit is a song composed by the Huntington senior and vocalist Benjamin Riveron, who performed the solo part. “The Giant” is another of Mr. Rentsch’s compositions. It was performed by professional musicians, violinist Letitia Jap and pianist Arden Jamkotchian.
“I had an amazing three weeks at Eastman,” Mr. Rentsch said. “The program was run in a conservatory-type setting, so I learned so much from the various classes I took. I felt privileged to have been able to have two of my original compositions performed, especially my piano-violin piece, which was professionally performed and recorded in one of Eastman's beautiful new recital halls.”
The summer classical studies imitative “is an internationally acclaimed program is for academically inquisitive performers, conductors and composers currently in grades 9–12 who are seriously considering a career in music,” according to the Eastman School of Music’s website. “Eastman's highly individualized program emphasizes solo performance (strings, winds, brass, piano, voice, classical guitar, harp, conducting, and composition). This program is for mature students of advanced performance levels who can work well in a focused collegiate-type environment.”
The program’s main features included two private lessons per week, weekly solo performance in repertory class, career seminar with interviews and great speakers, theory, ear training and history classes, small ensembles, orchestral and vocal techniques. Final solo performance and chamber music concerts are held in Eastman’s acoustically magnificent Kilbourn Hall and Hatch Recital Hall.
