Saturday, September 26th marked the annual Arts by George event at Mason. The purpose of Arts by George is to celebrate the arts at Mason and to raise funds for scholarships and performances. Beginning at 5pm, guests were invited to enjoy a multitude of musical performances, including a vocal studies showcase, interactive jazz sessions with the GMU Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Professor Jim Carroll, and small chamber ensembles such as piano solos, flute trios, string quartets, and jazz combos. These musical performances were well complimented by dance, paintings, sculptures, and video, which were all on display throughout three floors of the performing arts building. One nifty feature which spanned the entire day was the use of a marimba and gong. A group of about four Mason percussion students took turns playing everything from Bach chorales to improvisation on the pentatonic scale on a Marimba that was positioned at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor. This served as background music as guests mingled and enjoyed hors d'œuvres and wine. Then, five minutes prior to each performance, a gong, positioned on the fourth floor, was struck to signal that a performance was about to begin and guests were directed to the various performance spaces.
The highlight of the festival, for me at least, was the inaugural performance of a new orchestra, the American Festival Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Mason’s own Professor Anthony Maiello. The orchestra, which included many Mason faculty members, and even some students, presented a fabulous display of musicianship and artistry. Following a brilliant opening overture-type piece composed by Mason graduate student Vincent Oppido, the orchestra accompanied the guest artist, Tony Award-winning Brian Stokes Mitchell. Mitchell’s Broadway credits include “Man of La Mancha,” “Kiss Me Kate,” and “Oh, Kay!” The audience, myself included, thoroughly enjoyed his full baritone voice on many Broadway and jazz favorites and standards such as George Gershwin’s "'S Wonderful,” and “Take the A Train.” The evening closed with Mitchell’s second encore, “The Impossible Dream,” for which he is famous. His regular backing group also played with him and the orchestra and included a pianist, bassist, and a drummer. The pianist, in particular, impressed me with the way he altered his accompaniment style to fit with the orchestra. He also arranged one of the songs himself, which was performed without the orchestra. This gave the talented pianist a chance to show off more of his well-developed solo style. According to Mitchell’s on-stage commentary, he often plays with just these three musicians, and sometimes with just the pianist, whose name I unfortunately did not get. Watching Brian Stokes Mitchell in one of these different settings (without a full orchestra) is something I would like to see in the future.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Concert Review
The Faculty Concert, on September 11th in Harris Theater, was not only an excellent way for students to see their professors perform, but a way for the professors to showcase their talent. In particular, Dr. Monson stole the show with her numerous performances, whether accompanying a colleague, or soloing, she really shined. I think Dr. Monson’s performance stood out because I don’t get to see her that often. Of course I’ve heard what a wonderful professor she is, but actually seeing her in her element was incredible.
Dr. Monson accompanied many of GMU’s esteemed staff, but she also debuted a piece that Dr. Glenn Smith wrote for her. The piece was fantastic. It was obvious that she wasn’t just playing it, she was enjoying it. From her body movements, her facial expressions, and the overall expressiveness that she conveyed through her instrument was just wonderful.
The showstopper, however, was when Dr. Monson and Dr. Balakerskaia performed together. Interestingly, the pianos were placed so that they fit into one another – the stage crew put the rounded out part of one piano into the curve of the other. I’ve never seen a piano duet before, but my friend next to me (a piano student) said she had only seen it where the pianos are side-by-side. The two women, who appear to differ greatly in personality, performed fantastically together – down to their matching scarves. They performed two Latin style pieces that had the audience tapping their feet and bopping their heads, which didn’t seem odd since both women were doing the same thing on stage.
The talent of these two women is indescribable. They play the piano with such ease, but produce a sound that is simply out of this world. It is easy to see now why GMU’s piano students are so talented and so successful, as their teachers are clearly world class performers.
Dr. Monson accompanied many of GMU’s esteemed staff, but she also debuted a piece that Dr. Glenn Smith wrote for her. The piece was fantastic. It was obvious that she wasn’t just playing it, she was enjoying it. From her body movements, her facial expressions, and the overall expressiveness that she conveyed through her instrument was just wonderful.
The showstopper, however, was when Dr. Monson and Dr. Balakerskaia performed together. Interestingly, the pianos were placed so that they fit into one another – the stage crew put the rounded out part of one piano into the curve of the other. I’ve never seen a piano duet before, but my friend next to me (a piano student) said she had only seen it where the pianos are side-by-side. The two women, who appear to differ greatly in personality, performed fantastically together – down to their matching scarves. They performed two Latin style pieces that had the audience tapping their feet and bopping their heads, which didn’t seem odd since both women were doing the same thing on stage.
The talent of these two women is indescribable. They play the piano with such ease, but produce a sound that is simply out of this world. It is easy to see now why GMU’s piano students are so talented and so successful, as their teachers are clearly world class performers.
Sarah Shapiro-Concert Review
On Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009, at 12:30 p.m. at the George Mason University School of Music Fall Convocation in the Harris Theater, Dr. Lisa Berger (soprano), Prof. Dennis Edelbrock (trumpet) and Dr. Linda Apple Monson (piano) performed the Haydn Trio for Soprano, Trumpet and Piano. This stunning performance showcased each musician individually as well as as a part of the ensemble.
In this trio, each instrument performs solo lines at times and is, at others, accompaniment. Although the piano is accompaniment most of the time, it uniquely supports the solo lines being played or sung by the other two performers. The attentiveness of the pianist is absolutely critical in any performance of this piece- all musicians must be completely locked in with each other in order to maintain the identical sense of tempo and emotion throughout the performance. Although the piano is accompaniment in much of this piece, it stands out as a solo instrument at multiple points throughout the performance. Many times when either the vocalist or trumpet player is performing the solo line, the pianist plays the response, creating a “call and response” characteristic of Haydn.
The piano is absolutely critical to the overall function of this trio; it is the concrete keeping the entire performance together. While the vocalist and trumpet player play in and out of each other throughout the piece, the piano is consistent. Although it becomes background music at some points, the piano is absolutely necessary to bind all members of an ensemble for a successful performance.
Concert Review
I attended one of the recitals from the Washington National Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage, featuring Ivo Kaltchev and Milen Petrov. The duo performed four piano duets featuring composers Poulenc, Milhaud, Piazzolla, and Copeland.
Their first piece “Sonata for Two Pianos” by Poulenc had heavy dissonance, octaves up the piano and hand crossing. It had a hauntingly beautiful melody line that went from one pianist to the other. It had a somewhat minimal approach at the beginning, then a heavy rondo section to then go back to the “A” section of the piece. I enjoyed it and their body language throughout the entire piece was as if they were one with every note they played. They would lean into the keys, almost as if they wouldn’t get their message across unless they put their whole being into it.
Their second piece “Scaramouche” by Milhaud was a contrast from the first one. It began with playful rhythms and jazz flair every now and then. Again, they had relaxed posture and their hands seemed to glide across the keys with ease. They weren’t smiling, but they looked like they enjoyed being up there.
Their third piece “Grand Tango” by Piazzolla had a unique melody line with syncopated rhythms. The “B” section I really enjoyed, but then it started getting boring at the end.
Their last piece “Billy The Kid” by Copland had probably the most jazz of all the pieces and, of course, syncopation. Towards the end it started getting exciting and much more movement from the performers as they swayed with the music. They made a big finish with a glissando from both performers.
I really enjoyed this recital from two talented musicians who displayed love for the art through their musical passages and lines. I’m definitely glad I went.
Their first piece “Sonata for Two Pianos” by Poulenc had heavy dissonance, octaves up the piano and hand crossing. It had a hauntingly beautiful melody line that went from one pianist to the other. It had a somewhat minimal approach at the beginning, then a heavy rondo section to then go back to the “A” section of the piece. I enjoyed it and their body language throughout the entire piece was as if they were one with every note they played. They would lean into the keys, almost as if they wouldn’t get their message across unless they put their whole being into it.
Their second piece “Scaramouche” by Milhaud was a contrast from the first one. It began with playful rhythms and jazz flair every now and then. Again, they had relaxed posture and their hands seemed to glide across the keys with ease. They weren’t smiling, but they looked like they enjoyed being up there.
Their third piece “Grand Tango” by Piazzolla had a unique melody line with syncopated rhythms. The “B” section I really enjoyed, but then it started getting boring at the end.
Their last piece “Billy The Kid” by Copland had probably the most jazz of all the pieces and, of course, syncopation. Towards the end it started getting exciting and much more movement from the performers as they swayed with the music. They made a big finish with a glissando from both performers.
I really enjoyed this recital from two talented musicians who displayed love for the art through their musical passages and lines. I’m definitely glad I went.
Kyra Wagstaff Keyboarding Skills 3 Concert Review 1
Went to the Brian Stokes Mitchell concert last night. It was fantastic, to say the least. Brian Stokes Mitchell performed for two hours straight with the American Festival Pops Orchestra conducted by our own Professor Maeillo, no intermission, which helped capture the moment without thinking twice about it.
What was especially enjoyable to this program was how the concert was organized. Each song seemed to flow right into the other, though each supplied something a little bit different than the previous one. and of course, right when you were getting a little too used to the slower ballads, he would replace it right then with an uptempo, show stopper which brought the audience to their feet every time.
After the second half of the concert, Brian Stokes Mitchell made the announcement of only having worked with this orchestra once before the show had started, enhancing the magic of the moment that much more as we were able to admire the close relationship between the orchestra and their singer, knowing only 24 hours before they were complete strangers to one another.
His "final" song could not have been more rivetting and made the concert more complete as he ended with his rendition of "My Country Tis of Thee" leading into his own patriotic anthem from Ragtime, "Wheels of a Dream." Naturally, the crowd went wild (I think I might have been the first to jump up) and an encore of "To Dream the Impossible Dream" ensued, leaving everyone in goosebumps and a feeling of motivation to do something they have always wanted but never thought could.
So, in a nutshell, a really fantastic show.
What was especially enjoyable to this program was how the concert was organized. Each song seemed to flow right into the other, though each supplied something a little bit different than the previous one. and of course, right when you were getting a little too used to the slower ballads, he would replace it right then with an uptempo, show stopper which brought the audience to their feet every time.
After the second half of the concert, Brian Stokes Mitchell made the announcement of only having worked with this orchestra once before the show had started, enhancing the magic of the moment that much more as we were able to admire the close relationship between the orchestra and their singer, knowing only 24 hours before they were complete strangers to one another.
His "final" song could not have been more rivetting and made the concert more complete as he ended with his rendition of "My Country Tis of Thee" leading into his own patriotic anthem from Ragtime, "Wheels of a Dream." Naturally, the crowd went wild (I think I might have been the first to jump up) and an encore of "To Dream the Impossible Dream" ensued, leaving everyone in goosebumps and a feeling of motivation to do something they have always wanted but never thought could.
So, in a nutshell, a really fantastic show.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Concert Review
I went to see a Jazz Quartet called the “John Kocur Quartet” on Wednesday, September 23rd at a club called the Utopia in D.C. John Kocur actually got his Masters from Mason, and he currently teaches at NOVA, and is actually one of my brothers professors; which is how I heard about this show. The Quartet consisted of an alto sax (John Kocur), a double bass (Oliver Albertini), a pianist (Amy Bormat) and a drummer (C.V. Dashiell).
For starters, these guys (and girl) sounded great together. The room they played in was perfect for acoustics; having a high ceiling and the place was all wood, so there wasn’t any carpet killing the sound. The instrumentation and their blend were also great, with no one member of the group overpowering anyone else. It almost sounded like a recording in that way because the levels were so good. They played from about 9:30ish that night until about 1, so they played quite a few tunes. A lot of them were very familiar, being tunes by legendary figures like John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. These tunes also worked perfectly with the instrumentation, especially the Coltrane ones, as Kocur’s sax really sounded awesome.
It worked the way any other jazz combo concert usually goes. The band would play the head through and then one, two or all of the members would improvise, before going back through the head at the end of the tune. Through the heads the pianist was the accompanist, and in most of the tunes she would improvise after the saxophone was finished followed by the bass, and the drummer even got to take a few. I was very impressed with the pianist’s improvisations, having never really witnessed very much jazz on the piano before.
For starters, these guys (and girl) sounded great together. The room they played in was perfect for acoustics; having a high ceiling and the place was all wood, so there wasn’t any carpet killing the sound. The instrumentation and their blend were also great, with no one member of the group overpowering anyone else. It almost sounded like a recording in that way because the levels were so good. They played from about 9:30ish that night until about 1, so they played quite a few tunes. A lot of them were very familiar, being tunes by legendary figures like John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. These tunes also worked perfectly with the instrumentation, especially the Coltrane ones, as Kocur’s sax really sounded awesome.
It worked the way any other jazz combo concert usually goes. The band would play the head through and then one, two or all of the members would improvise, before going back through the head at the end of the tune. Through the heads the pianist was the accompanist, and in most of the tunes she would improvise after the saxophone was finished followed by the bass, and the drummer even got to take a few. I was very impressed with the pianist’s improvisations, having never really witnessed very much jazz on the piano before.
Hello Class!
If you are having a hard time posting, wait until tomorrow. I reinvited you again. I invited all of you in the beginning of the semester and asked you to join the site and be the contributor. You should allow more than a day to prepare your assignments. Your weekly schedule and information on assignments are in the course syllabus. Please read it thoroughly and ask me questions.
See you all in class.
See you all in class.
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