The Soloist

The Essence of Joy Recently Penn State choir, Essence of Joy, performed their first concert of the year. The concert was live streamed, which provided others, myself included, who were unable to attend to experience the concert. This was a concert that included works of various composers and songs that all complemented each other well. With its gospel-esc sounds, the choir brought soul and rhythm to each piece of music they performed. The concert featured various composers and the majority of…

of songs from classical, jazz, and mash ups of popular songs that entertained the audience and represented how well the orchestra worked together to create the night’s goodbye performance of the spring semester. Jean Ferrandis is a French flute soloist who has performed in numerous concerts, recitals, conventions, and events. His music career has launched him into traveling around the world to show the…

Bach’s masterpiece displays not only his mastery of the orchestra and choir, but also showcases his intense belief in Christ as savior of the world. Bach was a devout Christian throughout all of his life and this shines through in his work, especially in his more spiritual compositions. In his oratorio three especially distinct features come to the foreground that help to build up its Christianity: one, word-painting, especially in the more intense movements; two, by making the chorus, along…

thought about. Louis Armstrong, the renowned “Father of Jazz”, was thought to be one of the greatest brass players of all time. He inspired many other famous musicians, soloists, and jazz players. Additionally, he was one of the causes of the Harlem Renaissance. Through his work as a coronet and trumpet player, a jazz soloist, and an inspiration, Louis Armstrong will be forever be famous. His music profession changed the course of music history. In New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4th…

On April 7, 2018 the New York Repertory Orchestra played in the church of St. Mary the Virgin and performed three musical pieces. The architecture of this church is so beautiful, it has a bunch of details, paintings and sculpture that resemble the Catholic religion. Inside the breathtaking church, where the father usually gives his sermon, the orchestra took their places surrounding the conductor. The cello and the percussion were in the back and the violins and the brass were in the front. They…

We glance at each other and smile nervously as our conductor announces the next song, “All I Ask of You”. My hands are sweating and I have butterflies in my stomach as our conductor introduces us: me as the arranger, and both of us as the featured soloists. I take a deep breath, glance at my conductor and the orchestra, and begin. I’d like to say I was infatuated with cello from the moment my future conductor first played it (rather badly, as I’d later learn) at the fourth-grade introduction…

principal women have been falling like flies due to injury (currently, Isabella Boylston, Veronika Part, Gillian Murphy and Maria Kochetkova are on the DL list). What this has meant is lots of opportunities for soloists, and the 6/8 performance showcased the talents both of veteran soloist Sarah Lane (Gulnare) and the newer Skylar Brandt (Medora). These two talented ladies managed to grab attention away from the men, whose pirate's chest full of ballet tricks usually dominate the ballet. Skylar…

The author Sheila Sullivan Zubrod, in the article Aging Solo: Okay, I don’t have a child to help me, but I do have a plan, gives a personal account of her thoughts and experiences she encountered along her journey of caring for her aging mother whilst beginning to plan for retirement as a single adult. Most individuals have a 401k or a retirement plan that can carry them through the first couple years or decade of retirement. Yet, as humans continue to live longer, many do not account for…

n this assignment I'll be comparing both recordings, and explaining in details every special moment they have. Larghetto 2nd movt. - In the orchestra introduction Mullova's recording presents a much better phrase. It shows a lot of contrast in dynamic, articulation, and consequently mood. Creativity makes this recording special. They add dynamic that are not originally written, but the result is very good; it creates a totally different environment, suppress the lack of vibrato, and therefore…

For this assignment, I have chosen two Australian ballet companies: the Victorian State Ballet (VSB) and the Queensland ballet (QB). I will discuss their specialization, history, location, purpose and next productions. After that, I am going to evaluate their websites. The main reason why I have chosen these two companies is that they are two vibrant ballet groups from the New South Wales’s adjacent states (Victoria and Queensland) and I wanted to learn more information concerning them. Both…