Arts Class Web Journal

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA For my final concert web journal, I unfortunately had to watch a pre-recorded concert online due to the major COVID-19 outbreak. The concert I watched was by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from a 2017 performance. The piece was a Beethoven Concerto for the violin and orchestra. The main violinist was Hilary Hahn and conductor was Leonard Slatkin. Right from the beginning of the performance, the camera focused on Hilary so I knew she would have a major piece in this performance. She was wearing a beautiful multi colored dress as well as standing while performing. I thought that it was interesting that they opted to make her stand out so much more than the other performers. Typically, orchestras want everyone to be wearing the same color so that they truly appear to perform as one. I was very impressed that Hilary played the piece without looking at any sheet music. It was a very complex piece with changes in tempos, a wide range of notes, etc. My favori...

STANFORD COLLABORATIVE ORCHESTRA On February 29, 2020 I attended a concert by the Stanford Collaborative Orchestra at Stanford University. I was down there for Family Weekend visiting my cousin who attends the university. Since the concert took place during Family Weekend, the audience was a majority of relatives and fellow students. At first, the concert struck me as a little unusual in that there was a full orchestra but no conductor. However I learned that this was an intentional decision not only for this performance but for the way the orchestra is always ran.  Traditionally, chamber orchestras are directed by conductors who are in charge of leading rehearsals, making key musical decisions, and guiding the overall vision for the direction of the group. The Stanford Orchestra wanted to invert this model and be condutctor-less in an effort to create a musical group where the members democratically and collaboratively engage in the process of music-making. This collaborative...

Jacobsen Series: The Legacy of George Walker Friday, the 21st of February I attended a concert at the University of Puget Sound. This concert was held in honor of the late George Walker. His son, Dr. Gregory Walker, is a violinist and performed along side a small ensemble of multiple pianists, cellist, violinists, and an opera singer. George Walker has a very accomplished and impressive history. He was the first black composer to win a Pulitzer prize. He originally started his musical journey as a pianist and then grew into becoming a composer. His son Gregory chose the violin and now performs his father's pieces and carries on his musical legacy. I really enjoyed the video clip that was able to show us who George was and tell us more of his history. It was interesting to see how many variations of instrument and voice that George used in his composed pieces. Typically I think of composers always using a full orchestra. However, his pieces had combinations of only pian...

MLK DAY CONCERT On January 20, 2020 I attended the MLK Unity Breakfast at UW Tacoma. The purpose of this event was to celebrate the civil accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr by showcasing African-American talent. During this breakfast, Dr. Quinton Morris, a tenured Seattle University Violin professor performed his violin along with a piano accompanied by pianist Mr. Joseph Williams. The performance was absolutely breathtaking. Before Dr. Morris took stage, we were given a brief history about his impressive background. He is the second living  African-American violinist in U.S. history to have the rank of tenure at a major university. He's performed to multiple sold out shows at Carnegie Hall in New York City as well as many other famous venues worldwide. What made this performance even more impactful was the fact it was in celebration of Dr. King's legacy. There is to this day still very little representation for  artists of color in classical m...

WEB JOURNAL POST: WEEK 1 By: Lauren Vaifoou My cousins and I after my orchestra performance at the Showare Center in Kent, WA 2010. (I am on the far right, holding my violin case) My background in music most extensively comes from my time playing the violin. I began in the fifth grade at my elementary school. In my school district students chose from either band, percussion instruments, or orchestra, string instruments. Though many of my friends chose band, I gravitated towards orchestra. My instrument of choice was the violin. It had the highest notes which I appreciated as well as, it was the easiest to transport back and forth from practices. I never tried a different instrument throughout my orchestra career. I played the violin from fifth grade up until my junior year of high school. Playing the violin provided me with many opportunities to perform in front of large audiences and go on field trips to watch other orchestras perform. I also was often first and second ch...