Peter Opie is the cello professor at Ball State.
“I’m originally from a town in the United Kingdom called Sittingbourne that’s about 40 miles from central London. I started cello lessons at the age of 3 with a local teacher (the nearest music school would not accept students that young!). Then, at age 9, I started attending the pre-college program at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. That’s where I had most of my first experiences with chamber music, orchestra, and theory.
“Speaking of chamber music, I am on faculty at the Benefic Chamber Music Camp this week. It is a week-long experience aimed at providing high school and college undergraduate students with a period of intensive development of their overall musicianship. There are small ensemble coachings, private lessons, a chamber orchestra, concerto competition, and several career-guidance/skill improvement sessions. It’s a busy week, but there’s also time for students to relax, enjoy the campus, and make plenty of new friends. I’ve been teaching at the camp since its inception in 2011 and would say that the most enjoyable aspect is the great progress that all the ensembles make over the course of the week.”
