On Tuesday, April 12 music lovers had an opportunity to enjoy the incredible musical feats of pianist, Tirsa Smith, and violinist, Caleb Watson. This is all made possible thanks to the Concerto Concert, an event that turns competition into performance.
The Concerto Concert is an opportunity for the most talented musicians among us to showcase their skills. Although it’s primarily an orchestra concert, any musician is able to compete for a chance to perform with a large ensemble of both string and wind instruments. Winning this competition, however, is no walk in the park. Competitors will spend hours a week practicing challenging pieces. They’ll spend months memorizing not only the notes and rhythms but also the dynamics and just where to push and pull to make the piece come alive. First place winner, Caleb Watson, expressed after that concert a little bit of what it was like preparing his own piece, “Violin Concerto in A Minor”, by Antonin Dvorák: Watson shared: “I began learning my piece 10 months ago over the summer for a recital I had in the fall. After three months of learning the piece and memorizing it I performed my recital. I then performed in two different live classes with renowned teachers and musicians, auditioned for colleges, and played Dvorák for several competitions. All of this constant repetition left me playing the piece hundreds of times. By the time Tuesday’s concert was here, I felt very comfortable performing it.”
Watson isn’t the only one who can relate to spending hours on their piece. Second place winner, Tirsa Smith, recounts practicing her piece Romanze” by Frederic Chopin every day six days a week since last March. As the musicians spend so much time with their pieces they begin to gain a deeper understanding of the music. Demonstrating this fact, Smith used flowery language to describe her own piece. “My chosen piece was called Romanze,” shared Smith. “As the title suggests, it is elegant and graceful.
Chopin adds many grace notes and turns to make the piece light and fluttery, with a few well-placed climactic moments which contrast to the rest of the peaceful melody. It starts out elegant and slow and has the opening theme repeated throughout, with some variations. In the middle, it accelerates and drives toward a climactic downward chromatic scale and significant key change. The orchestra has the melody in the closing section, where the piano part is lots of sixteenth triplet arpeggios that fly across the keys. The end slows down gradually and decrescendos into silence.
It’s no secret that musicians at Wheaton Warrenville South High School are immensely talented, and being able to see such talent in person is always a pleasant experience. The soloists and every other musician who performed at the Concerto Concert stunningly showcased their talents. In case you missed it, keep an eye out for the next concert, the Finale Concert.
The Finale Concert is a free event, and it starts at 7:00 p.m. The concert will be held in the auditorium at WWS on Monday, May 20.
