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Tuesday, March 19
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra instructor teaching Jacobs, local students

IDS

Playing a nearly 300-year-old Crimean-made violin, Noah Bendix-Balgley is the concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and has played as a soloist in Germany, France and Italy.

But before that, Bendix-Balgley was a student in the IU Jacobs School of Music and worked closely with professor Mauricio Fuks.

“Professor Fuks was a very important influence on me,” Bendix-Balgley said. “I started lessons with him at the age of 13. He had me go back to the very basics of technique at the very beginning and really helped me build a solid technical foundation. Mr. Fuks is brilliant. He really considers the personality of each student and adapts his teaching to best suit their individual needs. For me, we worked a lot on opening up for communication physically and emotionally for the music.”

This time, it was the famed violinist Bendix-Balgley who was instructing students Tuesday evening at Auer Hall.

The hall was packed before the guest lecture started. There were mostly music students as well as musicians from all departments.

“Teaching is a real art and something that I am still exploring, so I don’t claim to be an expert,” Bendix-Balgley said. “But it’s very exciting to see that side of music making.”

Students from both the music school and Bloomington area participated in the lecture to receive individual coaching from Bendix-Balgley.

Bloomington local Zoie Hightower performed Concerto in D minor, Opus 47 for Violin and Piano during the lecture.

Bendix-Balgely’s instructions focused on the very fundamental communicative aspect of ?performances and the most basic and original understanding of music itself. Starting with simple steps helps students learn basics.

“It’s a piece with that stormy emotion, so you really want to create the bold vision for the atmosphere .... Now add more ?passion here, more Agitato.” Bendix-Balgley said.

High school and college-aged students attended the lecture to have one-on-one experiences with Bendix-Balgley.

The students said the lecture was helpful and introduced a new ?perspective.

“Noah is incredibly helpful. It was extremely helpful to see how simply he hears and takes notes,” Hightower said. “It was very encouraging as well to hear his gorgeous tone right by me.

He could put all different kinds of beautiful twists in a very simple musical piece.”

Hightower also said Bendix-Balgley was a demanding and encouraging teacher.

“He stopped me a few times while I was on the stage to go over and over again,” she said. “The simple high standards of the quality of the music that Noah insisted on was very encouraging.”

Jacobs offers master classes in different disciplines. To find a schedule of the classes, visit ? music.indiana.edu.

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