Remote Recital #2

Tuesday, May 19, 2020 by Graham Yates | Student Recordings

As our lockdown situation carries on and we continue to forge new pathways in online learning, some students participated in a follow-up to our first Remote Recital.

Whereas the first event was purposefully lo-fi (we recorded it over Zoom during each student's lesson), this second event is the hi-fi version. Students were encouraged to dress up, and get as many takes of their performance until they were satisfied. Then they submitted the video to me for processing. The results? See for yourself.

First up is Khashvi, performing a "stretch piece" which she has been continuously refining for some time. It's so satisfying to see the fruit of her efforts.

  Next is adult student, JJ, and I believe this is his debut performance. Forging the way for hopefully more adult piano students (and there are lots of them), I'm encouraged by his thoughtful performance of Rainbow Fish.

  Then there's Cylee, who sent in not one, not two, but three videos. If you look carefully, you can see the satisfied smile beginning to beam as she completes each piece. I know how hard she has worked to master these pieces, and wish her a hearty brava!

  Next, Noah - also an adult student but no stranger to performances - submitted his first foray into a Bach fugue for the piano. He has accomplished 2-voice inventions in the past and is now venturing further into contrapuntal territory. This is one of the most memorable fugues, and definitely a favorite of mine.

  And finally - the lockdown on the one hand offered performing musicians with busy schedules a chance to step back and actually deepen their own practice. And yet, for a collaborative pianist like myself it is difficult still to work with other musicians and explore the chamber music repertoire that I love so much. What to do? So I brushed off a piece I performed in college, a work for two pianos, but recorded both parts myself. Throw in a little costuming, and a little amateur video editing, and voilà: Scaramouche.