This past Wednesday, the music department hosted its annual Chamber Music Showcase in Schroeder Hall.  This hour-long session was made up of four different performances which consisted of the Clarinet Choir as well as String, Woodwind, and Saxophone Quartets.  The entire performance seemed to be flawless and it highlighted the talents of each musician.

One of the string players playing the violin was second-year music major, Miranda Ronan.  Ronan has been playing violin for 12 years now and it showed in her ensemble’s performance.  They played the string quartet in minor op13 by the late Felix Mendelssohn which was suggested by ensemble member Zander Voge when brainstorming what they should perform. The piece was said to be Mendelssohn’s first truly mature piece that the ensemble thought would be a great challenge.  Ronan explained, “It was just a fun challenge not just in learning the notes, but the different themes and characters we had to articulate.”

When talking with the STAR, Ronan was asked about how she felt her ensemble performed.  In great constructive form, Ronan talked about how they had a few very minor timing issues and could have delivered phrasing in a more expressive way although this was the group’s first time performing outside of recitals.

After reaching the end of her page of music and flipping it, it flipped back due to the way the original copies are in book form.  She didn’t panic in any way and fixed the issue so seamlessly that it was hardly noticeable.  Ronan said it was simply something musicians are used to. She said, “When it comes to performances you’re trained to just keep moving on, kind of try to always stay thinking a few notes or measures ahead of where you are.”  Ronan knew she still had a page and a half of music left to perform which was more important so she got right back on track and focused on continuing her and her ensemble’s impressive performance.

The final set of the night came with the saxophone quartet. They played a four-piece Quartet for Saxophones. This group included Cooper Ysais, Sergio Aranda-Garcia, Nathan Silva, and third-year music education major Owen Short.  The STAR was able to talk with Short about the performance.  He thinks the performance went great and said that his fellow musicians felt they did very well with their pieces. Short was also asked about his feelings about performing and he emphasized how much he loves it as well as how he is always eager to showcase what he loves.

Throughout the ensemble’s performance, the ensemble seemed to be in perfect rhythm both musically and physically, as they moved bobbing and nodding perfectly as if they were all jamming with the same vibes.  Short explained how they talked about it in rehearsal for synchronized spots in their piece but how it also comes down to natural feelings in the moment for them.  He noted that movement can make the difference between a group that plays well together and one that doesn’t.  Short loves this and the many other aspects of performances and he said, “I’m a very proud musician, and being able to share that with others means the world to me.”