Symphony under the Stars (Concert Report 1)

(I apologize for the picture quality)

On September 19, 2009 the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra performed outdoors at UVA’s McIntire Amphitheatre. The pops concert entitled “Symphony under the Stars” brought together both university students and members of the local community in order to enjoy an evening of music. The lack of words and gestures both work together to mask the expression of race and gender in pops orchestra performance. However, even though gender and race may not be as overtly expressed in pops music as it is in pop music, these themes are still present. Gender and race are simply expressed in more subtle ways in pops orchestra music than in the music of Eminem, Britney Spears, and Kanye West. By examining the “Symphony under the Stars” performance of the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra, one can see the expression of gender and race through the demographic composition and piece selection of the orchestra.

By examining, the demographic composition of the orchestra, one can gain insight into the roles that gender and race play in pops music. First, according to my observation, the orchestra did not contain any African American musicians. The majority of the performers were white with a fair amount of Asians. Granted, these observations were from a distance, so I cannot guarantee their accuracy; however, I am confident to say that the orchestra was comprised mainly of white musicians. Second, the demographic composition regarding gender suggests that musical instruments may be gendered. For example, all of the clarinet players were female. There was only one female trumpet player, and the strings seemed to be more evenly dispersed between the genders. Although these observations are interesting, I believe that in order to make larger conclusions regarding the demographic make-up of the orchestra, an in-depth study is needed to examine the demographics of the population of Charlottesville in relation to the demographic composition of the orchestra. It is difficult to make generalizations about race and gender in pops music from one performance by one orchestra.

Perhaps the greatest expression of race and gender in the performance was the orchestra’s piece selection. In addition to the theme song from ET, “Somewhere Out There” from An American Tale, and John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” the orchestra performed a suite from Carmen and a selection from South Pacific. In her introduction of the suite from Carmen, Music Director Kate Tamarkin presented a brief history of the opera. She revealed that the composer had difficulty locating someone to play the lead role of Carmen, a promiscuous gypsy, due to the social taboos she embodied as a heroine. However, once the role was filled, the play was not only socially accepted, but it also became one of the most famous operas of all time. By choosing to perform the selection from Carmen, Tamarkin also chose to address the tensions regarding gender that were present in the nineteenth century. As a character, Carmen was a contradictory representation of a woman as compared to traditional Victorian ideals. By performing the selection from Carmen and praising the opera in her introduction, Tamarkin not only displays her respect for the musical genius of the opera but also her support for the opera’s themes. Kate Tamarkin also chose to address racial prejudice in her piece selection by performing a number from South Pacific, a 1949 musical about love, war and racial prejudice. Tamarkin does not shy away from themes of race and gender; rather, she chooses to address these themes through music.

In conclusion, although all of the musicians in the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra dressed identically and performed as a cohesive unit, the themes of race and gender do not disappear. Gender and race are more than overt, outward expressions through appearance and behavior. These themes can be also expressed subtly in musical performance such as though demographic composition and piece selection. However, in order to make greater generalizations about race and gender in pops music, further study is necessary.

Musical Postcards: Ciao Bella Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra

Musical Postcards: CIAO BELLA
Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra

Packed into the auditorium of Old Cabell Hall of the University of Virginia, many people are probably not aware of this wonderful treasure which is offered free to students and for around $20-30 for guests to attend this concert. Ciao Bella (Italian for “Hello Beautiful”) is the first piece to the orchestra’s take on a series of concerts which bring the audience through the landscapes of different countries or regions through music. This initial concert did so with Italy, which was characterized by the orchestra as operatic and outgoing. This music was surely among some of the most beautiful and classical art at its best and included the instruments such as: the violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, piccolo, organ, piano and a handful of others. This music brought observers closer to the sounds of classical pieces which included the works of Giuseppe Verdi, Tomaso Albinoni, Nino Rota and Felix Mendelssohn. This series of concerts will also cover music by France- which puts emphasis on the harp, Central Europe- featuring Polish composers, the British and will end well with “Jefferson, In His Own Words” – which will provide a musical take on selections by the University of Virginia’s founding father, Thomas Jefferson.

The interaction of the audience and the orchestra were very much correlated. The orchestra was very uniform in appearance and in their performance. Almost in a militia influenced manner, the band members were color coordinated, dressed professionally in only black and white attire with serious and determined facial expressions. There were no smiles and there was almost a sense of an omnipotent and well-respected aura that was given off by them. In correlation to that, the audience too was dressed mainly in semi-formal attire and made it a point to not make any noise unless it was clapping at the end of a piece. This shows that different types of music have different expectations in audience interaction. While in other types of music, the band is offended if the audience is not participatory in response, however in this case the ushers made it a point to be seated on time and to minimize any extra action caused by the audience.

In terms of the sound, usually the music was very uniform as well. Often times every member was playing the same melody. Melody is described as the sequence of notes that compose basic structure of the tune; it is horizontal and can be thought of as playing one note at a time. Other times the music was played in layers, such as the violins playing one set of tunes, and the bass playing another, etc. Furthermore what makes this music interesting and a secret treasure of the University is the talents and prestige behind the orchestra’s music director, Kate Tamarkin. Tamarkin has received distinguished national and international recognition as a conductor at many levels. She has conducted some of the world’s leadings orchestras and has even been a part of CNN and the Today Show of NBC. She has received her DMA, Masters of Music and Bachelor of Music Education from Peabody Conservatory, Northwestern University and Chapman University respectively. It’s a shame that a lot of this talent from both the conductor, Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra goes unheard of and aware to many students, who have access to it for free. Hopefully this essay has helped others of the University and Charlottesville community alike become more aware of the divine talents that are taking place right in their own backyards.

-Mersedes Sweeney