Student composers 'playback'

Wednesday's student composers concert was as varied as it was long. Lasting for over two-and-a-half hours, the concert included experimental and traditional music, as well as pieces that used mixed media.

The first piece on the program, "A Song of Teen Angst," was a traditional ensemble, including violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, trumpet, trombone, and percussion, and soprano voice, but the words of the song, by double-degree sophomore Joel Rothschild, gave it a surprising twist. For example, halfway through the text the soprano sang, "Guess what I saw?/ A zit,/ On my nose!"

The second piece on the program, entitled "Beckett Fragments" by senior Eric Spangler, was written for violins, viola, and cello. The piece also made use of film, which was projected onto a screen in the middle of the stage. The images were of an actor against a black background as well as text from Samuel Beckett's Act Without Words.

Midway through the concert, Katie Shorb's piece "Natural Resources" was performed. The piece was an amalgamation of songs and voices speaking to the place of women in society. The composer blended Ani DiFranco's "Not a Pretty Girl" and "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story among others popular songs with female voices she had taped. The text, which she read herself, was Adrienne Rich's poem "Natural Resources." The whole piece was a tape playback, except for the reading of the poem.

Another tape playback in the concert was "it's a goth thing" by first-year Wally Scharold. For this piece the stage lights were turned out, adding to its "gothic" feel. The second to last piece was also performed in the dark by the ensemble group "les moutons." Composed by first-year Cory Dargel, each person in the group played a different instrument and also spoke the words "I miss her so much every day," with a variety of inflection and speed.

The student composers concert ended with a traditionalist piece called "Meditation." Composed for solo piano by first-year Marcus Lofthouse, it was a relaxing end to the evening.