Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Viewers Like You [Violin Music] Winner of the Music Guild of New Mexico’s 2025 Jackie McGehee Young Artists' Strings Competition >>Ella: You can create so many feeling and emotions and colors to your music, and it's almost like you can paint a story.

Ella Tasker shares what she loves about playing the violin and we see her award-winning performance.

[Flute Music] Captivated by the flute Brian Dunbar of the Crane School of Music mentors the next generation of musicians It's all ahead on COLORES!

[Violin Music] A Performance to Remember [Violin Music] >>Faith: Well, Ella, thank you for joining me on Colores today.

It's so great to have you here.

>>Faith: So, you've been playing since you were three years old right?

>>Ella: Yes, I’ve been playing since I was three years old.

>>Faith: So, what made you want to get into violin?

>>Ella: My mom is a professional violinist.

My sister's a cellist.

So is my aunt.

My grandma is a violin teacher.

And, so, I really wanted to play an instrument and my mom thought violin would be a really good fit for me.

>>Faith: What was it like learning the violin?

>>Ella: You have to develop all these techniques and it's really hard to create the sound you want out of a horse hair, which is the bow and metal and wood.

You have to practice to do the same thing every day and to focus on what you're doing, and -- yeah.

>>Faith: How much do you usually practice?

>>Ella: I also have begun piano, so -- >>Faith: Oh!

>>Ella: Violin and piano together, it's probably -- I try to aim for two and a half hours, to three hours a day.

But, it kind of depends how much I practice -- at like -- how the day is going and -- yeah.

>>Faith: What's your favorite music piece to play?

>>Ella: So, I actually have two.

The first one I am currently working on, it's called 'Zapateado' by Sarasate, and it's a really fun, exciting Spanish dance and I really like it because I feel like I can just put myself into it, you know, and my personality.

And the second piece is called 'Dance Macabre' And, it has a little bit of a Halloween tune to it.

>>Faith: Yeah!

>>Ella: And I think it's a really interesting piece, how the composer wrote the violin to play this music and to make it sound like there's, like, ghosts and skeletons and stuff like that.

>>Faith: Yeah!

>>Ella: So, I think it's just really interesting to see how the composer does that.

>>Faith: And I remember you said you heard that first from like a Halloween decoration?

>>Ella: Yeah -- >>Faith: How did that happen?

Like -- >>Ella: We just put our Halloween decorations out and I think my mom got it from performing this piece in orchestra.

I don't really remember much about the story and I think one of her friends gave her it, the decoration that played that kind of tune.

So, I heard it and I thought it sounded really interesting and I wanted to play it.

>>Faith: And do you have any inspirations or like other violinists that you look up to?

>>Ella: I look up to my sister, who's a cellist, and my mom, and I also look up to the Saëns violinist called Augustin Hadelich, and I really love how he plays.

>>Faith: So, you performed at the Music Guild of New Mexico's Jackie McGehee Young Artist Competition.

Right?

And you won first place.

>>Ella: Yes.

>>Faith: Congratulations!

>>Ella: Thank you.

I was really surprised.

>>Faith: Really?

>>Ella: Yeah.

[Audience Applause] >>Faith: So, we very much want to show our viewers your performance.

Can you tell me a little bit about that performance?

>>Ella: This is a performance of me playing the first movement of Mozart Violin Concerto in D Major.

[Piano Music] [Ella playing the violin] [Applause from Audience] >>Faith: So, what was it like performing there?

>>Ella: I was really nervous at first when I got onto the stage, but I think as I started playing, I really started to enjoy it.

I was just thinking about what's coming ahead and like just playing the piece really, and -- yeah.

>>Faith: Like, what was going through your mind when you walked out on stage?

>>Ella: Honestly, just nervousness and kind of just reviewing the piece in my head and like what I've learned about it and what I want to do when I play it.

Yeah.

>>Faith: Why did you choose this piece in particular?

>>Ella: Well, this was actually the graduation piece for the method I was involved in called, the 'Suzuki Method', and it so happened to be that it was also on the Jackie McGehee list, so I thought it was a perfect time to learn it and play it.

>>Faith: What's been your favorite memory so far?

>>Ella: My favorite memory of playing the violin was the Jackie McGehee Competition, and I just felt like it was probably the performance that I didn't feel the most nervous I've ever had before.

>>Faith: Really?

Why is it you didn't feel nervous?

>>Ella: Honestly, I think I just focused on the piece and enjoyed sharing my music with other people, and I think that's why.

>>Faith: What do you love about playing the violin?

Is it that?

>>Ella: Yeah, I love to share my music.

I also love that you can create so many feelings and emotions and colors to your music, and it's almost like you can paint a story.

>>Faith: What piece are you going to play for us today?

>>Ella: This is called 'Tambourine' by Gretry.

>>Faith: What do you like about this piece?

>>Ella: I can just put my, like, excitement into it.

>>Faith: That's awesome.

Well, go ahead.

[Ella playing the violin] [Ella playing the violin] [Flute Music] Playing Outside the Box >>Brian: My name is Brian Dunbar and I'm the Assistant Professor of Flute at the Crane School of Music.

I got started with the flute after witnessing my third-grade music teacher perform a flute solo recital for us.

music teacher perform a flute solo recital for us.

I knew at that moment I wanted to play the flute, and I only had to wait three more years until I got into sixth grade to begin.

I was captivated by the flute by its shape, its shininess, and the great, fast music that my teacher performed for us.

As the assistant professor of flute, I am in charge of teaching the undergraduate and graduate flute majors their weekly lessons.

I also lead our weekly studio class, and I also -- I am the director for the Crane Flute Ensemble.

I enjoy teaching because it offers me the opportunity to share with students my experience, learning and growing as a musician.

- Class, if there getting an octave higher, what does that tell you?

>>Brian: The advice that I would give to a student looking to begin a career in music is to think outside of the box.

Traditionally, we've thought of music as either a performance field where you can start playing in an orchestra or be a teacher in the education field.

But there are so many other options out there such as nonprofits, music business, flute or instrument repair.

And so, just know that there's many more options there for you and it's not just cut and paste.

I'm very motivated by my students, being able to guide and be a part of, and witness their growth while in school.

I'm also extremely motivated by the opportunity to create new works for flute, and uncover works that have been performed less often than our traditional repertoire.

I really enjoy performing all types of music.

Often, I get asked the question, "What is your favorite composer?

Who is your favorite composer?"

For me, it's whatever music I'm playing at the moment.

That is my favorite.

I feel that I have no experience as a composer and so my job is to make connections with composers, and have works written for myself, or discover new works performing their new works.

I admire the creative process that composers go through, and also I feel that it's my job to bring those composers voices to life through the flute.

My latest project includes a consortium commission of a flute concerto for flute and orchestra by the composer Carlos Simon.

I partnered with Carlos last year in the midst of the pandemic to create this work, which will be written for, again, solo flute and a small chamber orchestra allowing orchestras large and small to participate in performing the work.

This will be only the second piece written for flute and orchestra composed by a Black American and I look forward to bringing the piece to the North Country community.

[Brian playing the flute] The Award-Winning Arts & Culture series COLORES is now available on the PBS App, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and at NMPBS.org.

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Watch now on your favorite NMPBS platforms Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Viewers Like You.