On Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 4 pm, music students and faculty got together to present a program of works at the Howard Performing Arts Center. Only, this program was filled with contemporary works all written in the 21st century–written by Andrews University’s very own composition students and professors here on campus.
Dr. Max Keller, Professor of Music Composition and Theory, introduced the 3rd annual Composers Concert–featuring mostly student compositions–and exited the stage, leaving the audience leaning forward with anticipation to hear what music had been created from the minds of the musicians here on campus.
The first performance opened with Dr. Kenneth Logan on the piano for “Music of Mourning–For Ukraine.” A powerfully relevant composition, Dr. Logan presented a sorrowful melody to acknowledge and hear the suffering of others across the world, demonstrating the capacity for art to capture more depth and meaning than the words I could write on this page. He says “this piece is based largely on a somber piano improvisation of mine this last February 16, about a week before the invasion of Ukraine. Only much later did I quite realize that the rhythm, and much of the melodic shape, of the very opening is the same as in the opening of Ukraine's national anthem. May we empathize today with those Ukrainians who have suffered so intensely in this conflict.”
The next piece, written by Daniel Soochkoff-Cerna (junior, music education), was his Piano Quartet No. 1 “Loch Lomond,” a work featuring violin, viola, cello, and piano. It started out with the rich sonorities of the strings atop the piano’s warmth, then evolved into a fiery outburst of rhythmic joy and syncopation. With flying arpeggios in the piano, the poor page-turner had to reach over every couple seconds to flip the page, eyes wildly scanning the fast-paced music. Daniel notes “every composers’ concert I am amazed by the incredible individuals I get to call colleagues. This concert was no exception. To see the collaboration of musicians and composers was inspiring and reminded me why I love what I do. I can't think of anything more rewarding than hearing your friends bring your music to life. It was a truly memorable event.”
This fantastic composition was followed by “Fantasy for Cello and Piano,” written by composition student Andrew Pak (junior, music performance). Performed by himself with Colin Cha (freshman, biology), it opened with sparkling Em(add2) chords, setting the mood for a mysterious fantasy of offbeat rhythms and echoes of some other world. The cello’s longer sustained lines with rich vibrato gave a dramatic flair to the otherwise dark soundscape. Later on, it transitioned into a brighter, more energetic section filled with buoyancy and hope, yet still containing the same syncopated rhythms as the beginning. Eventually, the excitement dissipated with a reprise of the beginning, and the piece ended with unresolved Dorian harmonies fading away to nothingness. Regarding his thoughts as a composition student whose music was being performed, he says, “It was an incredible experience to have my own piece performed live in front of an audience when I knew my music could very well be stuck in a notation software for years without anyone ever hearing it. I loved hearing the music of my peers as well, and it’s inspiring to hear what people my age have achieved.”
Along the same train of thought, one of the audience members gave similar input on the notable creative energy and effort of Andrews composition students. “I really enjoyed attending the concert and hearing all of the composers (or fellow musicians) perform their pieces. I liked the uniqueness of each work and how a variety of instruments were used throughout the program to give a cohesive yet distinct voice to all of the compositions. It’s always nice to be reminded of how talented and hardworking AU’s students can be,” says Caryn Cruz (junior, English).
While each part of the rest of the program held its own special value, a few notable compositions include Philip Wekesa’s (junior, music) “Wet Echo,” a percussion-only piece that featured the bass drum, glockenspiel, suspended cymbal, and marimba. Amidst the myriad of string and piano instrumentation, the stagehands carrying giant percussion equipment on HPAC’s stage after intermission made the performance stand out along with the more diverse sounds of a percussion ensemble. Contrasting this energetic rhythm-driven piece of music, a couple performances later was Nicole Powers’s (junior, composition) presentation of her piece, “Her Lullaby.” A piece set for SATB choir and piano, it flowed with beauty and grace worthy of its name. This vocal aspect of the concert added another dimension to the sonic palette of the whole experience, giving the audience a taste of how beautiful contemporary choral music can be.
The concert closed with a performance of Daley Lin’s (senior, composition) very unique piece, “Brainstorming” for prepared piano. Prepared piano is a technique developed by John Cage in the late 1930s/early 1940s in which certain objects are placed on or in between the piano strings so that unique tones and different percussive sounds are produced when playing the keys. Daley used felt fabric and eraser blocks in the strings to dampen the piano’s output, resulting in a fantastic and unique array of sounds throughout his composition. At the end of his piece, the audience response was hugely positive and loud, closing off the concert as a popular success. Dr. Keller invited all the composers on stage shortly afterwards, and they stood amidst the applause as proud creators who had just witnessed their creations come to life.
Regarding the concert as a whole, Dr. Keller says, “I am privileged to host the Andrews University Composers Concert. This year there were the most submissions ever with the resulting concert being a fantastic display of talent and creativity. With that growth I look forward to the Department of Music and all participants building on this success in the years to come.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.