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William Hueholt describes his experience at the Eastern Music Festival as transformative.

“The quality of the faculty is phenomenal,” he said, “but what I really liked was how the instructors helped us develop our own ideas so that we could play with our own spirit.”

Hueholt, 17, from Wilmington, was EMF Young Artist and piano concerto competition winner in 2010. He spent five weeks last summer on the campus of Guilford College with 200 other students and about 85 part-time staff members engaged in music making.

The EMF celebrates its 50th anniversary season this year. Its mission is to promote musical enrichment, excellence, professional collaboration, innovation and diversity through a nationally-recognized teaching program, music festival, concerts and other programs that will enhance the quality of life, health and vitality of our region.

The five-week festival features more than 100 music-related events, with daily performances open to the public. EMF serves hundreds of students and 60,000 enthusiasts each summer with a year round staff of 6 and more than 85 part-time staff members, including the faculty musicians.

EMF boasts many alumni who are professional musicians all over the world. Rolando Morales-Matos, professional musician and adjunct professor at The Curtis Institute of Music and Duquesne University, attended the EMF in 1981 at the insistence of his brother, who had participated the previous two summers.

“The festival opened my eyes to the fact of how much I did not know,” Morales-Matos said. “At the same time, it showed me the importance of discipline, not just from the teachers, but also through the other students who applied it in order to accomplish a given task, including the task of becoming a musician. The competition was very strong, but very healthy among fellow students.”

He said he had “many people to look up to” at EMF, where his appreciation of classical music was awakened.

“Since then, I have been focused on my music career, always knowing that it was during that summer that I discovered what would have to be done to become an artist,” Morales-Matos said.

Not only does EMF make an impact on the young people who come to the campus for instruction. It also provides Greensboro with a level of entertainment only found in large metropolitan areas.

Top musicians from around the world visit Greensboro each summer to educate and entertain our local community.

Hueholt said his five weeks at EMF “just flew by” because every moment was filled with new relationships, ideas and challenges.

Hueholt said the “open and creative” environment at the EMF will continue to influence his playing. Hueholt will continue in piano in college and now, as a result of his Eastern summer, has many more schools to consider.

“I have been so encouraged by my experience at Eastern and would recommend it to any other young musician who wants an experience of a lifetime,” he said.

Ruth D. Anderson is executive director of The Servant Leadership School of Greensboro and chairwoman of programming for the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium.