Music students to share stage with their professors in 'It's a Woodwind World VI' concert
Tonight, UCLA music students will perform alongside their professors during the “It’s a Woodwind World VI” concert featuring chamber music by composers from different eras.
“It’s a Woodwind World VI”
Today, 8 p.m.
Jan Popper Theater
$12, $5 with BruinCard
By Alicja Bronowicki
March 8, 2012 7:30 a.m.
It isn’t often that UCLA students get to share the stage with their professors here at UCLA. But when Alicia Mastromonaco was suddenly asked to step in for her professor, who had to tour with the San Francisco Symphony, she jumped at the opportunity to perform with her mentors.
Some of UCLA’s music students, along with Mastromonaco, will perform with their professors tonight in the “It’s a Woodwind World VI” concert. The concert will feature UCLA’s music faculty members and their students performing chamber music pieces by composers from several musical eras.
UCLA clarinet Professor Gary Gray said that many of the students chosen to perform are among the most dedicated and hardworking in the department. Students don’t audition for the performance ““ they are chosen by their professors based on their musicianship.
Mastromonaco, a second-year graduate student in french horn perfornance, will play a woodwind sextet piece by French composer Francis Poulenc, which features five faculty members and Mastromonaco as the only student in the group. Originally written for a traditional woodwind quintet, which features a flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and French horn, the performance will also include UCLA Symphony Orchestra music director Neal Stulberg on piano.
“I’m really excited about this piece. It’s a piece you don’t get to play very often. … When playing with (professors), you don’t have to (practice as much), it all just … puts itself together,” Mastromonaco said.
Mastromonaco also said the piece isn’t a typical Poulenc piece. She described it as being complicated and emotional but still very light and fun.
The night will also feature music by Max Bruch and Johann Sebastian Bach. A student trio will also be performing “Concert Piece No. 1 in F minor” by Felix Mendelssohn.
The student trio features third-year music student Ceylan Yagmur on clarinet, third-year music student Oliver Chen on piano and third-year music student Alex Chay on bassoon. The three, who have performed this piece before, said this is one of their favorites.
Yagmur said that even after playing and performing the piece several times, she still enjoys it. She also said that on her worst practice days, she plays the piece and is able to get herself back on track.
According to Gray, the selection of pieces are examples of what he would want to hear and be entertained by at a concert. The music is specifically chosen to show the colors of the woodwinds and represent the woodwinds throughout different musical eras.
Chay said he was excited to hear his professors perform, but that he was even more anxious to hear Mastromonaco perform among musicians they all admire.
“I think it’s important to hear faculty working and playing together. … Your relationship with your music professor is different from any other professor because they are almost like your pseudo parent. You emulate yourself after them,” Mastromonaco said.
