CarlyMae and Lily Buckner

“You always listen to every instrument just to get to know how your part collaborates with the others."
For sisters CarlyMae ’21 and Lily Buckner’22, music is in their DNA.
Raised by “genuine mountain musicians” George and Brooke Buckner, the natives of Asheville, North Carolina, can trace their musical bloodlines across three centuries. “We’re fifth-generation musicians,” Lily says. “That’s special because it means we can connect to our heritage and our ancestors.”
CarlyMae received her first fiddle, a 1/16th-sized model, at the age of 3. By the time she was 7, the elder sister was accompanying her string-plucking parents on stage performing at bluegrass festivals. Lily, however, gravitated to the French horn, an instrument outside of the bluegrass sound, often relegating her to spectator during the family jam sessions. “We’ve never been able to play together before because fiddle and French horn don't really mesh,” CarlyMae says.
As members of Exeter’s Chamber Orchestra, with CarlyMae now on double bass, the siblings are playing side by side for the first time. “I actually stand right next to where Lily sits,” CarlyMae says. “We get to play music together almost every day and that’s really cool.” Playing in an orchestra setting allows the pair to feed off not just each other’s playing, but that of the two dozen other musicians who make up the group. “You always listen to every instrument just to get to know how your part collaborates with the others,” Lily says. CarlyMae notes the “interpersonal feel” of the music, something she attributes to the sense of trust among the players. “A couple days ago we rehearsed without the conductor to see how it would work and it was perfect,” she says.