When Claire deBruyn sat down at the piano in the Riverdale Baptist Church Thursday morning to play a piece entitled Blue Sky I, she knew she would be getting instruction from one of Canada's finest pianists.

What she didn't know was the identity of the slight, dark-haired woman sitting at the back of the chapel.

"As musicians, we often think, 'Wouldn't it be great to have the composer by your side to answer your questions?'" pianist Jon Kimura Parker said after listening to deBruyn play.

He met the Grade 8 piano student's nod of agreement with a sly smile before introducing the woman at the back: acclaimed Canadian composer Alexina Louie, who quite literally wrote the book on contemporary classical music for students.

She is the composer behind Star Light, Star Bright, a collection of nine solo pieces, including the one deBruyn was playing, written specifically for young pianists.

An "Oh my God!" was all deBruyn could manage at the moment.

"I am not, by the way, going to be able to produce Mozart later," Parker said with a laugh, as Louie moved to the front row to better hear her piece played.

Parker and Louie were both in Whitehorse with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, in part to play a mid-week concert at the Yukon Arts Centre, but also to share their vast musical knowledge and experience with the next generation of classical musicians.

Throughout his lesson with deBruyn, Parker would turn to Louie to ask her questions about what she intended for the piece.

"It's almost like a dance," she said, coming up to the stage where deBruyn was playing.

"I dedicated this piece to my children. They danced all around the piano day after day as I wrote this."

Afterwards deBruyn said, "I was really nervous at first, and then I realized, 'Oh my gosh, she's actually here; I can ask her anything about this music.' Having her there really deepened my understanding of the piece."

DeBruyn was one of about a dozen Whitehorse students who took part in masterclasses taught by members of the national orchestra this week.

Classes in percussion, clarinet, saxaphone, double bass, brass and strings were also given by the visiting musicians.

The classes are part of an ongoing plan by Whitehorse Concerts to connect local musicians with those brought in for performances.

"There's almost as much emphasis on the outreach as on the concert itself," Whitehorse Concerts director Michelle Emslie said about the project.

"We're finding that artists really enjoy it; it makes them feel they are part of the community."

"If you don't do it, it's a wasted opportunity," Parker said of the classes and school concerts. "Pinchas (Zuckerman, NACO music director) is adamant that this is a part of what we do."

For Louie, the opportunity to hear a young pianist play her work is always a welcome one

"I wrote all of these pieces so students could use their imagination," she said. "When I was a student, you had to play these pieces that have been around for so long."

Even though Louie's orchestral compositions have been played all around the globe by the world's greatest ensembles, she maintains that compositions like the one deBruyn played are her legacy.

"I write a lot of big pieces, but I always say I will be remembered by these - the pieces people learn with."

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