“We hear all the time at Lafayette about the power of ‘and,’” Eshbaugh, a computer science and French major with a minor in biology, said during a break. “I often think, ‘What does that actually look like?’ Well, this is it.”
Four student composers experienced their music brought to life this month through a collaborative project between Lafayette’s Music Department and the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, a Lehigh Valley-based professional chamber orchestra.
Each scored for chamber orchestra, the students’ compositions were premiered April 4 and 5 at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown and Williams Center for Performing Arts, respectively, and also brought together Lafayette College student instrumentalists, affording them a rare opportunity to perform with a professional orchestra on core classical repertoire and support their composer colleagues at the same time.
During dress rehearsal April 3 at First Presbyterian Church, Edgar Lin ’26, Conrad Tilroe ’25, Owen York ’26, and Jackson Eshbaugh ’27 sat quietly in the church pews as the orchestra, over the course of several hours, shaped and refined the nuances and contours of their harmonic imaginations into performance-ready works.
Eshbaugh, like his colleagues, was riding a musical and creative high in anticipation as his composition evolved from the abstract to a living thing. In a moment, he expressed what everyone was thinking.
Jackson Eshbaugh ’27 (Photo by Mark Gittleman and courtesy of Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra)
“We hear all the time at Lafayette about the power of ‘and,’” Eshbaugh, a computer science and French major with a minor in biology, said during a break. “I often think, ‘What does that actually look like?’ Well, this is it.”
His minimalist single movement work, “2nd & Main,” about eight minutes long, reflects his musical depiction of a street corner or intersection in Anytown USA.
“Whether it’s the motion of pedestrians, a family walking their dog, or the circulation of traffic, intersections are alive with movement,” Eshbaugh said. “This piece explores the ebb and flow of an intersection, capturing its rhythm and reflecting its complex choreography.”
Tilroe, a music major, presented technical challenges in his work, “They’ve Hidden the Frogs Where the Pond Can’t Find Them,” requiring the trumpet section to deliver an exposed section at the top of its tessitura and a muscular Stravinsky-esque timpani part.
Conrad Tilroe ’25 (Photo by Adam Atkinson)
“The chance to write for an orchestra like this is incredibly rare,” he said. “There’s a lot of responsibility attached to it, and I wanted to rise to meet this challenge and make something that is meaningful for more people than just myself.
“I also like to push the boundaries of what instruments are capable of doing,” Tilroe said with a smile.
York, who’s also majoring in music, discovered the melodic motif for his minimalistic piece, “Connections,” came to him during a car ride home to Mahwah, N.J., last semester.
“I just ran with it. As soon as I walked into my house that day when I came home for the summer, I started playing the melody over and over again on piano,” he recalled. “The tune was simple, and it was almost sing-songy. It sounded like something a child would sit down at the piano and start playing.
“It had this weird power to it. It was alluring, it was kind of ominous, and the thoughts started to creep into my head that I could do something much larger with this piece, but it can be really hard to trust yourself,” he said.
Owen York ’26 (Photo by Adam Atkinson)
“I’m really grateful for this opportunity. It’s a huge honor to have 35 people playing your music with such precision,” said York, adding that he was overwhelmed with surprise when he learned the work would be premiered by a professional orchestra. “It’s hard to process. I won’t lie, it’s a bit intimidating, because you don’t have complete control once the music reaches the orchestra in rehearsal.”
Lin, who’s double majoring in mathematics and music, draws from unconscious melodies in his musical compositions. Large in scope and reflecting Romantic and impressionistic elements, his work, “The Second Piece,” is scored for first and second violins, violas, violoncellos, and double basses, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets.
Edgar Lin ’26 (Photo by Adam Atkinson)
“The biggest inspiration is definitely knowing my piece would be performed by a professional orchestra,” he said. “It’s one of the rarest chances that I can get my piece played by others. In terms of musical inspiration, I first came up with a feeling of climbing a snowy mountain. After I finished about a third of my piece, I decided to discard connecting my piece with a natural scene, blending different varieties and styles, different ideas, and free exploration and development of the music.”
Paul Chou, music director of the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, said the collaboration with Lafayette aligned perfectly with a key pillar of the orchestra’s strategic plan: education and support of music students.
“We’re so incredibly grateful to Lafayette College’s Music Department for its support of this program,” added Chou, who thanked Akiva Zamcheck, assistant professor of music, for his leadership in engaging and preparing Lafayette students for this unique experience.
“Nurturing the creative process is essential to educating students, no matter what they end up doing for a living,” Chou said. “Creative pursuits are part of Lafayette’s philosophy of embracing the power and possibilities of ‘and’ to enhance this college’s rich liberal arts culture.”
Zamcheck said it’s been “a great honor” to work with the student instrumentalists and student composers during the various stages of their compositional process, and interact with the creative and administrative staff at Pennsylvania Sinfonia.
“The Pennsylvania Sinfonia approached, rehearsed, and performed this music with such care and consideration,” he noted. “For me and our students, this was the highest moment of the academic year.”
Making the experience even more meaningful and purely Lafayette was the support of the student instrumentalists who played alongside the professionals in the orchestra—Maria Soukup ’26 (violin), Camille Voo ’26 (violin), Rebecca Filiato ’25 (cello), Andreas Pelekis ’26 (cello), and Brian Morris ’27 (flute).
Pelekis, majoring in English and film & media studies, described the weekend of music making with the Pennsylvania Sinfonia as a rare honor.
Andreas Pelekis ’26 performs with Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra. (Photo by Mark Gittleman and courtesy of Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra)
“It’s uncommon for a college music program to have a partnership with a professional orchestra, and I think it says a lot about how Lafayette is willing to get involved in the Lehigh Valley,” he said.
As for the works by the student composers, they presented rewarding challenges, a departure from the more familiar classical repertoire on the program.
“It shows how creative and specific our student musicians are, and it was rewarding when myself and other students in the orchestra were able to better understand the compositions,” observed Pelekis, who appreciates how connecting with the Lehigh Valley is a pillar of the Lafayette strategic plan, especially with arts and music fields.
“Having these programs with local orchestras and professional arts organizations long term is something that Lafayette should keep doing and feel proud of already doing,” he said.
Jackson Eshbaugh (Photo by Adam Atkinson)
During the dress rehearsal at the church, Eshbaugh could barely sit still. Moving quietly around the sanctuary to observe every moment at every angle possible, he gathered his thoughts and soaked in every bow stroke.
“I would have never dreamt that it would come this far. I would have never dreamt that I would be in this position,” he said. “This is wonderful. I think part of what it means is that I have a supportive community of people around me who are willing to help me.”
Students can choose from minors in Indigenous studies, music technology, and electrical and computer engineering.
French National Orchestra of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, accompanied by a Lafayette descendant, to present multimedia performance at Williams Center for the Arts April 27.
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Student composers experience their music spring to life – News · Lafayette College
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