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(11/06/02 4:14am)
While many of us are cracking the books for history, biology or business exams, the students in the music school are preparing for their big recitals. The amount of rehearsal time and effort they put into their recitals is immeasurable.\nAlmost any student can perform a recital, but it must be done with the approval of the major professor. Most students are required to do a recital in both their junior and senior year for the undergraduate degree in music, but they must first pass a recital "hearing" where teachers from their department listen to the song excerpts for the recital. \nEven though the recitals are between forty to fifty minutes, the hours used to prepare them are much longer. Senior Theresa Koenig, a bassoonist, said there are several types of recitals that students perform -- junior, senior, ad hoc and student recitals -- so the preparation varies. The student, junior and senior recitals are generally a solo performance and ad hoc recitals are a group effort.\n"The recent (ad hoc) recital I did would be labeled more as a concert because there were so many people involved with it," Koenig said.\nRehearsals with other musicians take up even more time, and preparations begin months before the recital. Students usually choose music pieces that reflect their instrument's repertoire. Duos are common between instrumentalists and vocalists. For chamber music, such as wind or string quartet, a group of three or more musicians is necessary. Students can play with whomever they want, but for the most part, pianists are assigned to them in the teacher's studio.\nPerforming in front of an audience can give many students butterflies in their stomach, but senior Cecilia Kwok, a cellist, said "some people eat bananas and take beta-blockers to calm their nerves." Others practice more in front of their families and friends to familiarize themselves with the environment. Although the number of people in the audience varies, their support increases the student's self-esteem and reduces the anxiousness each time they perform. \n"It does not really matter if the audience is big or small," Koenig said. "For me, the bigger the audience, the less you know who is out there listening, and in the 'real world,' recital audiences can be quite large."\nEven though playing to a crowd can induce much anxiety, the audience can also fuel a musician's performance. Senior Claire Starz, a flutist, said the most rewarding aspect of performing in a recital is watching the audience's reaction. \n"If you feel like you have played a good recital and friends or colleagues honestly enjoyed themselves, there is no better feeling," Starz said. "Music is meant to make people happy, to make them think, and to make them dream. If I can inspire someone through my music, then I have achieved the ultimate goal."\nThough each music student has their own method of preparation, there are some standard procedures they all follow to ensure a great performance.\n"Play in master classes as frequently as you can, but don't overdo it," Kwok said. "When it's time for your recital, go out there and just have fun."\nStarz said she recommends recording yourself playing one or two performances and memorizing a few music pieces so you will not be as nervous when you go on stage, as sometimes that anxiety can impede a performance.\n"Occasionally I have glimmers of self-doubt, and sometimes I do get frustrated, but those feelings never last very long," Starz said. "Because I enjoy playing music so much and because it is such an integral part of my life, I am sure I won't ever quit"
(04/05/02 3:36am)
Who wouldn't enjoy a play that talks about a boy meeting a girl, falling in love with her and wanting to marry her? "Anything Goes" is the new version of Hoosier native Cole Porter's Broadway extravaganza, which won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Revival.\n"The musical is very exciting, and we've wanted to do it for a long time," said Ulrike Steinert, the director of marketing at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre.\nThe story, written by England's Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse and America's Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, is based on the romantic complications that arise between the lovers and is combined with comedy.\nThis new musical focuses on the characters Reno Sweeney, a lively nightclub singer; Reno's friend Billy Crocker; and Billy's true love, Hope Harcourt. IU graduate Denise Jaeckel plays Reno, who helps Billy (played by Rob Leffler) hide away on a trans-Atlantic luxury liner to England to find Hope (played by Bobbi Bates). Billy uses a phony passport to get on board and wants to convince Hope she is the one for him and that she should not marry an Englishman to save her family's fortune.\nWhile at IU, Jaeckel performed in IU Opera Theater's "West Side Story" and the Department of Theatre and Drama's "Chicago." She graduated with a major in telecommunications and worked as a freelance photographer and production assistant until she realized that acting was her hobby and passion. Since then, Denise has modeled and has been in commercials and industrial videos throughout the Midwest.\nShe said she sees this as "an opportunity to work with more talented people, and in return, talented people make you act better."\nBates has played several leading roles in her acting career. Some of them include Sarah Brown in "Guys and Dolls," Esther Smith in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and Kathy Seldon in "Singin' in the Rain." \nRob Leffler was also in "Guys and Dolls" as Benny Southstreet. He recently made his debut at the Hilbert Circle Theatre and with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Not only does he make stage appearances, but he is responsible for the vocal direction of many productions in Indianapolis.\nKriss Griffiths-Holm plays Evangeline Harcourt, the mother of Hope. She said the role is somewhat challenging to her because she has to portray a character who is 20 years older than her.\nBut all of the effort she puts in is worth it, because she said she "wants her audience to leave with a song in their step and to say that their evening was well spent."\nGriffiths-Holm's other roles include Sylvia Fowler in "The Women" and Constanza in "Amadeus."\n"Anything Goes" plays 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre. Tickets are $25 for the main floor and $20 for balcony seats.
(03/08/02 4:40am)
"Crescendo," the poetry reading presented by Matrix and the Bloomington Area Arts Council, took place 7 p.m. Thursday in the John Waldron Arts Center's Firebay Theatre. People finishing up with midterms and wanting to relax had an opportunity to go to the Poetry Series celebrating of National Women's Month and International Women's Day.\nPoets including Jada Barbry, Lora Wagers, Breshaun-B. Joyner and Carrie Spadter performed. The event was a way to enjoy the essence of modern poetry.\n"It is a way to showcase emerging poets alongside more established performers on one of the most visible and popular stages in the Bloomington community," said Tony Brewer, senior editor of the poetry group Matrix. \nMatrix was founded in December 1998 to give poets the opportunity to express their work through open mics, contests and poetry slams. Since then, it has developed into a diverse range of poetry with music and art as an accessory to the reading. It started the Matrix Poetry Series last year.\nThe Bloomington Area Arts Council (BAAC) is a nonprofit organization that supports and promotes the arts of Monroe, Owen, Brown, Greene and Lawrence counties.\n"(The) BAAC likes to have a diverse offering and felt that the poetries presented met that diversity," said Allison Batty, the Performing Arts Director of BAAC.\nOther performances feature musicals and theater by local, regional and national artists.\nBarbry is one of the poets who performed last night. She has done other poetry readings with Matrix and won the Midwestern Writing Conference award at Western University. Her inspiration to become a poet was stimulated by writers such as Ani DiFranco, Anne Sexton and Charles Bukowski.\nWagers also performed last night. She is a member of Matrix as well as a poetry reader for Crescendo. She is the co-host of the monthly open mics and was in charge of the Words on Wheels poetry contest for Matrix last year, which she hopes to run again this summer.\n"I like to shape language, to work with it like numbers -- adding here, subtracting there, multiplying adjectives until I realize I've gone overboard," Wagers said.\nBoth poets said they have a great love for what they do.