Student Soloist Concert

This previous Tuesday, a handful of students performed in the Student Soloists Concert, held in the Bowld of the Music Building. Through several in-house concerts during fall term, a committee of Music Department teachers selected Sava and prep Dacha Thurber, lower Madeleine Porter, upper Isaac Browne, prep Paula Perez-Glassner, upper George Matheos and senior Roger Shen to perform in the concert.

The first performance, “Duo Concertant for Two Violins”, by Charles de Bériot, was a violin duet by prep Dacha Thurber and his younger brother, Sava Thurber. “It was good,” Dacha said, “I think the concert was a lot of fun.” He enjoyed how the “amazing acoustics” really made the performance better. Nevertheless, Dacha acknowledged that there could be some room for improvement. “There were definitely some spots that needed to be practiced a little bit more,” he said. 

Next, Potter, a soprano singer, sang “O Cessate di Piagarni,” accompanied by pianist Mrs. Vallone. Potter was happy to perform, and she loved the setting. “I always enjoy performing in the Bowld,” she said, “the acoustics are amazing.”

Upper Browne, a violinist who performed third, played the piece “Symphonie Espagnole.” The performance went well, but it was a little slower than Isaac expected. “I played a bit slower than I thought I might, but that’s good because I kept it in control, and I was able to exaggerate the dynamics well,” Browne said. In particular he thought the beginning went the best. “I hit the harmonic. I took a pause between a few measures at the start. That worked out pretty well; it added drama.” Browne then credited his smooth performance to practicing. “[The concert] forces you to practice,” he said. He thought that this type of concert was “a really good experience,” and he encouraged all people to participate. “Everybody should try out, at least in the in-house,” he said.

The next performance was by Perez-Glassner, another soprano singer who sang “O del mio dolce ardor.” She believed that her performance went well and attributed her success to her nerves, saying, “I was able to calm my nerves enough to feel confident in my performance.”

Next, Potter, a soprano singer, sang “O Cessate di Piagarni,” accompanied by pianist Mrs. Vallone. Potter was happy to perform, and she loved the setting. “I always enjoy performing in the Bowld,” she said, “the acoustics are amazing.”

The final violin performance, “Méditation,” was performed by Matheos. He was satisfied with his performance. “My personal performance went very well; it went better than expected,” he said. In comparison to the previous year, Matheos believed that he played better. “I think I did a much better job than I did last year.” Overall, he enjoyed the concert and believed that it went very well. “I’d like to shoutout to everyone, who did an amazing job,” he said.

The last performance was by pianist Shen, who played “Piano Sonata No. 2” by Sergei Rachmaninoff. “It was okay,” he said, “I still messed up one passage that has double notes.” In comparison to the In House, he believed that the performance surpassed the tryouts. “I think it was an improvement from the In House,” he said, “I played cleaner. It was definitely more realized on stage. I also think I had a bigger range of dynamics and volume.”

The concert won compliment from the audience. Señor Perez, a Spanish instructor and father to Perez-Glassner, expressed that he was deeply impressed by the quality of the performers. “What strikes me is [that] you see all the these students in front of you, and when you start listening to them, you think you’re listening to professionals,” he said.

Music Department Chair Peter Schultz, who was a member of the selection committee also believed that everyone “played beautifully,” sharing music “as well as they were capable of.”