Tonight, Wednesday, September 16th, 2009, it was my pleasure to see Mr. Charles Saenz perform in Bryan Hall at Bowling Green State University. Mr. Saenz gave a recital on coronet and trumpet. I was completely blown away, literally! I am interested in the skill level of the applied lessons teachers here at Bowling Green, but I also went to his recital to fulfill my requirements for recital hour. Otherwise, I might have missed this truly tremendous performance. I am not a fan of trumpet; it is loud, and it irritates me. But tonight, I saw a different side to the trumpet than I have ever seen before. Mr. Saenz took care with his notes, and nailed them. One of the most irritating thing for me with trumpet is their lack of precision, but Mr. Saenz performed with such poise, and deliberateness. I found his works to be varied, and satisfying to the ear. His interpretations were quite musical, and colorful. I feel so thankful to have experience what a trumpet should sound like, otherwise, I would go through the rest of my days cringing at the sound of trumpet. So thank you Mr. Saenz.
On September 22, I had the privilege to attend Misha Galaganov’s viola performance. I did not enjoy the concert as much as I thought I would. My dad plays the violin and I love hearing him play, so I thought that I would enjoy Mr. Galaganov’s playing also. This was not the case. I found that his playing was not very precise, and I didn’t care for the sound of the viola or his interpretation of the music. I, too, have played the first movement of the Brahms Sonata, only for clarinet, so I found myself comparing how I interpreted the piece to the way he interpreted it. He didn’t seem to play it with much emotion.
Now, I cannot just say that I hated the recital because that would not be true. First of all, I’ve never been to a viola performance before, so I have nothing to compare it to. Maybe this is what all violas sound like. Second, I did not hate the whole recital. There were parts that kept my attention that I may try to mimic in my own playing. At every recital I go to, I try to take something that I can learn from. Sometimes it’s what not to do, other times it’s things that can take my playing to another level.
On November first, I had the great opportunity to watch a performance directed by Dr. Jane Schoonmaker Rogers. The cast was made up of incoming freshman and transfer students to the musical theater and performance majors. The show was called “Noobies” and took classic songs and gave them a comedic twist. There was such a wide variety of genres that kept the audience captivated from beginning to end. Everything from Italian art songs like “Danza, danza, fanciulla gentile” performed by Nicolas De La Torre, a solo from the opera “The merry widow” sang by Grace Hirt, and broadway hits like “I could have danced all night” from “My fair lady” sang by Rachel Beck. All together the show ran about an hour and fifteen minutes and was over all to soon. Both faculty and family were proud and impressed by the cast’s appealing and convincing parts in the 2009 newcomers show. It was entertaining and moving and since i know many of the cast members personally I could really appreciate the performance and all the hard work they put into it. Their hard work payed off in a great show.
On Saturday, October 10th I was fortunate enough to see The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. It was performed back in my hometown, Ann Arbor Michigan at the Power Center. The cast was made up of three sets of couples performing variations of classic pieces. The performance was amazing. Some of the pieces were amazingly done while there were a few I didn’t like. As a dancer, I felt I could really appreciate the footwork and the overall performance. The footwork, which was on point; when a dancer is in on their tip toes in special shoes called point shoe, was impressive and done beautifully. There were certain pieces that were done beautifully while others I really didn’t like. There was one piece that actually brought me to tears. It was a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet. The couple performing it took the performance to a new level. The dancer’s dancing wasn’t only perfect but the emotion with it was breath taking. Showing true, pure emotion through dancing is a very hard thing to do. Everything about this performance was perfect. I feel very lucky to have been able to go see this talented group of dancers.
On November 14, 2009, I took a break from my hectic schedule to attend a performance on that Saturday afternoon. I was invited by a good friend of mine to check out a performance of “Patience: Or Bunthorne’s Bride.” I decided to go to the show, and I am so thankful I did. The main plot of the show was about a poor, uneducated, young servant woman, Patience, and of her incredible beauty. She claimed to never have been in love with anyone and did not understand how ladies could be in love, but be so unhappy. A “poet” named Reginald Bunthorne was the new guy in town that every woman wanted to marry. The person he wanted though was Patience. He was not a true poet, but Archibald Grosvenor, Patience’s childhood friend whom she came to realize she was in love with, was a poet and a great, yet egotistical man. In the end she chose her love, Archibald, and not Mr. Bunthorne. The performance was spectacular because of the entertaining music and outstanding actors/actresses. The show was incredible and intriguing to watch, and it was a great way to relieve my stress that day!
On Saturday, December 4th 2009 I had the pleasure of attending a Recital by Tammie Bradley. I heard great things from my teacher Myra Merritt, so I decided to go. Tammie Bradley was an amazing singer and performer. She had amazing connection to each of the pieces she was singing. Although her songs in Italian and Spanish were wonderful, my favorite piece was in English. She sang He’s got the Whole World in his Hands and it was so wonderful I had chills. Her phrasing and high notes throughout the recital were amazing, but when she sang He’s got the Whole World in His Hands I heard more freedom in her voice. Seeing her perform was also very inspirational to me because we have the same teacher. It was even more exciting to see her because she is now working at the Houston Grand Opera in the Chorus. This was one of the best recitals I have been to all year, and it gave me inspiration, in this stressful time with juries this concert showed me how hard work pays off. After the recital, she thanked many people I was surprised that she was shocked to see so many people in the audience. She is a truly amazing performer and I can’t wait to see her perform again.
On Wednesday, September 23rd, I attended a concert that was a part of the Faculty Concert Series, which in turn belongs to the Festival Series. This concert spotlighted both Mrs. Ellen Scholl and Dr. Christopher School, featuring Professor Sean Cooper as well. This concert contained eight main movements, each one containing multiple pieces within each movement that are grouped together by theme and composer. I was not very fond of the pieces composed by Strauss that were picked by this concert, they seemed altogether very repetitive and never-ending. I did enjoy the next two movements, which were entitled “Hölderlin Fragmente” and “Six Duets” which were very simple yet very melodious at the same time. Of all of these movements, my particular favorite was the excerpt from Les Contes d’Hoffmann which was “Il était une fois à la cour d’Eisenach” which was composed by Offenbauch. I think this was one of my favorites because of the 1: the way it was staged, and 2: the way that Dr. Scholl incorporated a small chorus of men in this number. Altogether, a very memorable concert.
On Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 8 p.m. I had had the opportunity to get to see Mr. Christopher Scholl and Ms. Ellen Scholl perform at the Faculty Artist Series. I thought they both did a wonderful job of portraying their talents. They chose a so many great songs. I really liked all the pieces in different languages. Even though they were in a different language they connected with each piece making me feel like I understood what was going on. My favorite piece of the night was probably “I don’t Wanna Rock and Roll” by Maury Yeston. Mr. Scholl made it very humorous and I very much enjoyed it.
September 16th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Tonight, Wednesday, September 16th, 2009, it was my pleasure to see Mr. Charles Saenz perform in Bryan Hall at Bowling Green State University. Mr. Saenz gave a recital on coronet and trumpet. I was completely blown away, literally! I am interested in the skill level of the applied lessons teachers here at Bowling Green, but I also went to his recital to fulfill my requirements for recital hour. Otherwise, I might have missed this truly tremendous performance. I am not a fan of trumpet; it is loud, and it irritates me. But tonight, I saw a different side to the trumpet than I have ever seen before. Mr. Saenz took care with his notes, and nailed them. One of the most irritating thing for me with trumpet is their lack of precision, but Mr. Saenz performed with such poise, and deliberateness. I found his works to be varied, and satisfying to the ear. His interpretations were quite musical, and colorful. I feel so thankful to have experience what a trumpet should sound like, otherwise, I would go through the rest of my days cringing at the sound of trumpet. So thank you Mr. Saenz.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:03 am
On September 22, I had the privilege to attend Misha Galaganov’s viola performance. I did not enjoy the concert as much as I thought I would. My dad plays the violin and I love hearing him play, so I thought that I would enjoy Mr. Galaganov’s playing also. This was not the case. I found that his playing was not very precise, and I didn’t care for the sound of the viola or his interpretation of the music. I, too, have played the first movement of the Brahms Sonata, only for clarinet, so I found myself comparing how I interpreted the piece to the way he interpreted it. He didn’t seem to play it with much emotion.
Now, I cannot just say that I hated the recital because that would not be true. First of all, I’ve never been to a viola performance before, so I have nothing to compare it to. Maybe this is what all violas sound like. Second, I did not hate the whole recital. There were parts that kept my attention that I may try to mimic in my own playing. At every recital I go to, I try to take something that I can learn from. Sometimes it’s what not to do, other times it’s things that can take my playing to another level.
November 11th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
On November first, I had the great opportunity to watch a performance directed by Dr. Jane Schoonmaker Rogers. The cast was made up of incoming freshman and transfer students to the musical theater and performance majors. The show was called “Noobies” and took classic songs and gave them a comedic twist. There was such a wide variety of genres that kept the audience captivated from beginning to end. Everything from Italian art songs like “Danza, danza, fanciulla gentile” performed by Nicolas De La Torre, a solo from the opera “The merry widow” sang by Grace Hirt, and broadway hits like “I could have danced all night” from “My fair lady” sang by Rachel Beck. All together the show ran about an hour and fifteen minutes and was over all to soon. Both faculty and family were proud and impressed by the cast’s appealing and convincing parts in the 2009 newcomers show. It was entertaining and moving and since i know many of the cast members personally I could really appreciate the performance and all the hard work they put into it. Their hard work payed off in a great show.
December 7th, 2009 at 2:35 am
On Saturday, October 10th I was fortunate enough to see The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. It was performed back in my hometown, Ann Arbor Michigan at the Power Center. The cast was made up of three sets of couples performing variations of classic pieces. The performance was amazing. Some of the pieces were amazingly done while there were a few I didn’t like. As a dancer, I felt I could really appreciate the footwork and the overall performance. The footwork, which was on point; when a dancer is in on their tip toes in special shoes called point shoe, was impressive and done beautifully. There were certain pieces that were done beautifully while others I really didn’t like. There was one piece that actually brought me to tears. It was a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet. The couple performing it took the performance to a new level. The dancer’s dancing wasn’t only perfect but the emotion with it was breath taking. Showing true, pure emotion through dancing is a very hard thing to do. Everything about this performance was perfect. I feel very lucky to have been able to go see this talented group of dancers.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:04 am
On November 14, 2009, I took a break from my hectic schedule to attend a performance on that Saturday afternoon. I was invited by a good friend of mine to check out a performance of “Patience: Or Bunthorne’s Bride.” I decided to go to the show, and I am so thankful I did. The main plot of the show was about a poor, uneducated, young servant woman, Patience, and of her incredible beauty. She claimed to never have been in love with anyone and did not understand how ladies could be in love, but be so unhappy. A “poet” named Reginald Bunthorne was the new guy in town that every woman wanted to marry. The person he wanted though was Patience. He was not a true poet, but Archibald Grosvenor, Patience’s childhood friend whom she came to realize she was in love with, was a poet and a great, yet egotistical man. In the end she chose her love, Archibald, and not Mr. Bunthorne. The performance was spectacular because of the entertaining music and outstanding actors/actresses. The show was incredible and intriguing to watch, and it was a great way to relieve my stress that day!
December 7th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
On Saturday, December 4th 2009 I had the pleasure of attending a Recital by Tammie Bradley. I heard great things from my teacher Myra Merritt, so I decided to go. Tammie Bradley was an amazing singer and performer. She had amazing connection to each of the pieces she was singing. Although her songs in Italian and Spanish were wonderful, my favorite piece was in English. She sang He’s got the Whole World in his Hands and it was so wonderful I had chills. Her phrasing and high notes throughout the recital were amazing, but when she sang He’s got the Whole World in His Hands I heard more freedom in her voice. Seeing her perform was also very inspirational to me because we have the same teacher. It was even more exciting to see her because she is now working at the Houston Grand Opera in the Chorus. This was one of the best recitals I have been to all year, and it gave me inspiration, in this stressful time with juries this concert showed me how hard work pays off. After the recital, she thanked many people I was surprised that she was shocked to see so many people in the audience. She is a truly amazing performer and I can’t wait to see her perform again.
December 8th, 2009 at 1:46 am
On Wednesday, September 23rd, I attended a concert that was a part of the Faculty Concert Series, which in turn belongs to the Festival Series. This concert spotlighted both Mrs. Ellen Scholl and Dr. Christopher School, featuring Professor Sean Cooper as well. This concert contained eight main movements, each one containing multiple pieces within each movement that are grouped together by theme and composer. I was not very fond of the pieces composed by Strauss that were picked by this concert, they seemed altogether very repetitive and never-ending. I did enjoy the next two movements, which were entitled “Hölderlin Fragmente” and “Six Duets” which were very simple yet very melodious at the same time. Of all of these movements, my particular favorite was the excerpt from Les Contes d’Hoffmann which was “Il était une fois à la cour d’Eisenach” which was composed by Offenbauch. I think this was one of my favorites because of the 1: the way it was staged, and 2: the way that Dr. Scholl incorporated a small chorus of men in this number. Altogether, a very memorable concert.
December 8th, 2009 at 2:04 am
On Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 8 p.m. I had had the opportunity to get to see Mr. Christopher Scholl and Ms. Ellen Scholl perform at the Faculty Artist Series. I thought they both did a wonderful job of portraying their talents. They chose a so many great songs. I really liked all the pieces in different languages. Even though they were in a different language they connected with each piece making me feel like I understood what was going on. My favorite piece of the night was probably “I don’t Wanna Rock and Roll” by Maury Yeston. Mr. Scholl made it very humorous and I very much enjoyed it.