By SARAH CLARK
Staff Writer
A Steinway & Sons piano sat center stage in the Picotte Recital Hall at the Massry Center for the Arts. Audience members filled the seats as the performers patiently waited behind the stage doors to present their pieces that they had rehearsed for months.
On Saturday, March 23, Dr. Young Kim, a Music professor at The College of Saint Rose and Juilliard alumni, and her students played pieces composed by Argentine Composers Carlos Guastavino, Alberto Ginastera, and Astor Piazzolla. Every year, students of Kim’s perform in the concert series, “Young Kim and Saint Rose Pianists” to showcase the talents that they have honed in on. This year, student performers include Thomas Odell ‘22, Sarah Wright ‘21, Gracie Lineham ‘20, Asa Bastar ‘21, Mariana Fedchyshyn ‘21, and Kacie Ciarelli ‘21. Kim also performed a piece with Sean Obach ‘19 Graduate, in which the piece “Oblivion” was arranged by him.
“Music is something that we have to share with people,” said Kim. She emphasizes the importance that students have exposure outside of their classrooms. No matter what size the audience may be, Kim urges them to perform whenever they can. She also brings her students to perform in outside venues such as Albany High School, and recently a senior housing development in Delmar. “The best practice is performance,” said Kim.
The process for students in Kim’s class often requires practicing for around five hours a day, and their pieces must be memorized. Students also perform their own research on their pieces and the composers, and then present that information to their class prior to the concert. Not only that, but they also assist Kim with necessary production tasks such as creating promotion materials and programs. She emphasizes the importance that students experience the process of creating the program since it is better to acquire the skills that that could further set them apart from other performers.
“It’s hard to talk about music, it’s more something that you feel,” said Odell, a Piano major in the Music Education program. Odell played “Tres piezas Op. 6,” work from Ginastera. He describes how the work has bitonality, which is playing in two different keys simultaneously. Compared to the light and steady paced feeling the first two movements gave, the third had a bright and frantic tonality to it. “Having the feelings of being up there and making all these audience members happy is really nice to be able to do,” said Odell.
“When I came here to Saint Rose I really wanted to be a performer,” said Wright, a double major in Music Education and Performance. She performed the Guastavino movement “Allegretto” from the piece “Sonatina in G Minor.” Wright’s performance was lyrical and moving, and truly allowed the audience to feel every note. “Between teaching and performing, when you come off of performances especially, you feel such pride and accomplishment.”
Other performances include “Danzas Argentinas Op. 2” played by Lineham, Bastar playing “Mis Amigos No. 7 “Alberto, de la calle Posadas” composed by Guastavino and “Malambo Op. 7” composed by Ginastera, “Las Presencias No. 4 “Mariana”” played by Fedchyshyn, and Ciarelli who played “Mumuki” by Piazzolla.
To wrap up the concert, Kim and Obach performed an arrangement piano four-hands, in which he arranged the Piazzolla piece himself. The performance demonstrated how two players can sound like one, which contributed to the true beauty of this piece.
As Kim’s students celebrate their success, she is eager to remind them that music is not a skill that anyone can completely master, and that the art is a process that requires perpetual learning. “You have to be humble in the practice room and keep working on the things that you have to improve.”
