Recent Music Concerts Fill Campus with Joy

By ANGELA HE and SOPHIE ZHU

The stage is set, anticipation fills the air, and melodies come to life as performers step into the Bowld. This past week saw many music showcases, from the spring jazz concert and the spring student showcase to the a capella showcase and the third installment of the low-key music series. All celebrated the talent, dedication, and passion of Exonian musicians. 

The Jazz and Contemporary Ensembles Concert was held at The Bowld on Tuesday, April 30, at 7:00 p.m.

One of the highlights was the Spring Term Showcase Concert. Chair of the Music Department Marcus Rabb explained, “Students and their private music instructors jointly choose what students will prepare and audition for the student showcase concerts. A team of judges selects the finalists.”

Reflecting on her experience, lower Harini Venkatesh, a soprano and participant in the soloist concert, said, “I think the performance aspect of it helped with focusing on performing because it was like, ‘Well now I’m not just singing this piece for myself. I have to share it with other people.’”

Venkatesh sang  “Mandoline” by Gabriel Fauré. She explained, “I was really focused on conveying the emotion of the piece, expressing the piece, and being able to share that with the audience. So I was trying to get deep into what the words meant, how I could share that, and how I could create those settings.”

For the weeks prior to the performances, the practice rooms were filled with the sounds of tuning, vocal warm-ups, and shuffling sheet music. Performers dedicated countless hours to mastering the complexities of their chosen repertoire, ensuring each note resonated. 

Lower Anna Byun, a cellist and fellow performer at the soloist concert, explained her rehearsal process. “​​For me, the most challenging aspect of preparing for a soloist concert is to technically know the music well enough in order to allow for freedom of creative expression in front of a live audience,” she said. “It was extremely important that I had complicated shifts, fingerings, or bowings down for many weeks prior to the concert, which allowed me to set worries about that aside and put forth my best musical interpretation that I had focused on before in a practice room as nerves can definitely get in the way, which majorly impacts playing.”

The a capella showcase was held at The Bowld on Friday, May 3, at 8:00 p.m.

Prep Grace Yang, a pianist in the concert said, “The day I auditioned was the day when I submitted my history paper, so it was extremely busy,” she said. “I didn’t even have much time to prepare for [the performance], but I had to make time for myself to practice every day, at least an hour or so.”

“I was definitely really nervous for this performance, so my teacher made me play in front of different friends all the time to be prepared for this performance,” G. Yang continued. “And practicing to control my hands even under different circumstances. If my hands were cold, or the piano was a little off, or if there were background noises, or if there were people walking around—I practiced under different circumstances and different environments to fully prepare for my piece and play it to the best that I can no matter what.”

Various Exeter jazz ensembles performed during this past week, which underscored the importance of diversity and representation in music. Rabb explained how the department chose the repertoire: “For the spring jazz concert, the directors of the ensembles decide what songs will be performed. This year all of the songs were by women composers.”

Performers remarked on the atmosphere of the concert. Prep Euphoria Yang, a keyboardist and member of one of the ensembles, said, “We were just hyping everyone up before it. But after, we forgot to count for our outro, but Patrick, our bass player smoothly covered it up.” 

When asked about the highlights or standout moments from the performances, Rabb said, “I think that the fact that students have worked all term and in some cases even longer to prepare incredible performances on top of everything else they do here is in itself worth highlighting.”

 Looking ahead, Rabb voiced aspirations for broader community engagement. “It would be great to have The Exonian do stories about music events before they happen as opposed to after they happen so that you can help build excitement in our community about these events.”

“I heard my friend’s camera clicking right before I was about to play and it was really funny. I was too nervous and too tense for the first half of the music, and I feel next time I should really just relax and enjoy the music so I can play it fully and thoroughly and let the music flow through my blood,” G. Yang concluded.