Saturday was Kenosha’s Solo & Ensemble competition, which means that 1,500 high school and middle school music students descended upon Indian Trails High School like . . . I was going to say “locusts in a plague” but that doesn’t quite convey the spirit of the event1 🙂 Solo & Ensemble is an incredible celebration of music-making, but it’s also a bit overwhelming to have so many young music students in one place. Throw in the whole competition component and it’s not surprising that the air sizzles with intensity. Add to that the new location – Indian Trails High School – and you had the recipe for a most exciting day.
When you gather 1,500 people together in one place (and that’s just the student competitors – that doesn’t count the teachers, accompanists, judges, and interested relatives and friends in attendance) you’re bound to see some very interesting, intriguing and even entertaining people, such as . . .
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*Stupendous Student Teachers . . . It was so cool to see a bunch of Carthage music majors who are now student teachers and already making exciting contributions to their respective schools and programs. There’s nothing more gratifying than to see young people flourishing in the field they’ve chosen to pursue, having all the right gifts and having nurtured those gifts to the very fullest. I don’t remember everyone I bumped into, but I know I saw Matt Maccari, Greg Schroeder, Taylor Weinstock and Nathan Larson . . . four of Carthage’s instrumental all-stars, who are sure to be spectacular teachers someday very soon. Of course, for them it has to feel so strange to find themselves at the contest where not long ago they were student competitors . . . but now being teachers, calming the nerves of the youngsters in their care, answering frantic questions, and just doing whatever it takes to help them do the best they possibly can. You couldn’t help but smile at such a sight.
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* The Singing Preacher . . . I played for a lot of memorable performances on Saturday, and one of the very best was a very heartfelt and powerful performance of “All Good Gifts” from Godspell. I feel funny mentioning the young man’s name without his permission, so I’ll just say that he is a young man who has given Polly a lot of joy over the years, and in what I”m pretty sure was his last time out at Solo & Ensemble, he sang the daylights out of these piece as though he were the preacher at a revival meeting. And when he finished, both his teacher and accompanist (and maybe even the judge) had tears in their/our eyes.
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*The Counter Tenor . . . I blogged a couple of days ago about a voice student of mine who took the rather momentous step of entering Solo & Ensemble this year as a counter tenor. I am delighted to report that Jacob’s treble rendition of “Gia’il sole dal Gange” could not have gone better – and I’m so happy that his performance was heard by a smart judge who knew something about counter tenors and could appreciate what Jacob was doing.
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*The Survivor . . . One of the best moments of the day was when I ran into a really fine local musician who I hadn’t seen in quite awhile – not since he or she had been given a terrifying cancer diagnosis. But here they were, a little over a couple of years later, looking vibrant and feeling remarkably well. Cancer stories so often end in heartbreak but this one – at least for now – seems to have been written very differently. In the midst of a contest where I* ratings might seem truly important, this was a reminder that such ratings actually fall under the category of “small stuff,” as in “don’t sweat the. . . “
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* The Proud Little Brother . . . You see a lot of young children at Solo & Ensemble and a few of them wear a look on their face as though they’ve just been condemned to a whole week of nothing but creamed spinach. . . obviously there under duress (although they may find themselves enjoying the experience once they’ve been dragged there, kicking and screaming.) But then there are those families where the younger siblings seem delighted to be there and could not be more enthusiastic or avid cheerleaders. And actually, one that really stands out in my mind was the younger brother of a senior at Tremper High School, Sam Skalback, who I played for in two different solos. As Sam sang his first solo, I couldn’t help but notice a young boy in the front row who had to be Sam’s little brother. Sam’s mom and dad were sitting farther back in the room, but his little brother seems to have wanted to be right up front, where the action was. . . and he never took his eyes off of his brother as he sang, and when the song was done he clapped SO enthusiastically for his brother’s fine performance.
But what I thought was especially remarkable was that when Sam walked to the back of the room to receive the verbal comments of his judge, Sam’s little brother moved back as well so he could listen in on that exchange. That really showed how genuinely interested he was in what was going on- and I have a feeling that a few years from now, he’ll be following in Sam’s footsteps and delivering some fine performances of his own. Mark my words.
pictured above: Sam Skalback receives the verbal comments of the judge, while Sam’s little brother looks on and listens in. (I received permission to post this photo from Sam’s mother.)