Yale festival seeks ushers for 2025 season

By Tom Hodgkin
For the fifth summer, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival organizers are once again offering an opportunity for members of the local community to earn free admission to Friday and Saturday night concerts by volunteering as concert ushers or at post-concert receptions.

The program, initiated in 2019 by festival director Melvin Chen and past general manager Jim Nelson, was born of the desire to connect the festival more closely to the Norfolk community. It became even more relevant with Yale University’s 2022 decision to house music fellows entirely on-campus. As Chen and Nelson realized, this move, while providing a more cohesive and powerful experience for fellows, had the unfortunate downside of limiting the local connection to the festival. Many Norfolk residents had previously housed students in their homes, getting to know them personally and often establishing long-standing relationships.

Chen and Nelson hoped to reestablish some of that connection by offering free tickets to locals who wanted to show support for the festival or wished to attend the weekend evening concerts but were limited by ticket prices. As Nelson stated in 2019: “I sensed that there are some in the community who would welcome the opportunity to attend concerts, engage with the fellows and meet the internationally known artists. But economics and/or opportunities may not have encouraged this. Here is a chance to meet artists, attend concerts and participate in the life of the festival without cost and in ways that would be convenient. I love the town of Norfolk, as do the other staff at the festival, and this is another way to connect the [Yale] estate to the town and vice versa.”

In the five years since the program’s inception, many of Nelson’s hopes for the program have been fulfilled. In 2024, more than 30 members of the greater Norfolk community volunteered at the festival—many of them several times. Significantly, not only did these volunteers gain free admission to concerts, they also filled an important and critical role.

Under Chen, Norfolk fellows have increasingly been included in the prestigious Festival Artist Concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings, enabling them to play alongside, and receive coaching from, world-famous musicians. This change limits the availability of fellows to serve as ushers or at post-concert receptions, leaving a critical hole in the infrastructure of the festival. Volunteers have stepped up to fill that role—last summer almost 100 percent of the ushering needs of the six-week festival were met by volunteers.

While the volunteer program has proved to be a success, festival organizers are always looking for more individuals to get involved and connect with the world-renowned chamber music festival that takes place right here in Norfolk. As in previous years, all are welcome to volunteer for one or any number of concerts. Past volunteers have included high school music students who wished to see only one program and seniors who chose to work almost every week.

The volunteer program offers the opportunity to help out at the festival, to enjoy world-class chamber music and to get to know some of the staff and renowned musicians that share their impressive talents in Norfolk.

Tom Hodgkin is Coordinator of Volunteers for the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
For more information, or to volunteer directly, email Hodgkin.tom@gmail.com. Concerts begin on July 4.