By Jeremiah Yonemura
The Master’s University’s (TMU) Paul T. Plew School of Music hosted on Nov. 10 its fall “Symphonic Masterworks” concert to showcase the works that the University Orchestra had been practicing. The concert took place in the school’s Music Recital Hall.
The first half of the concert included “The Star-Spangled Banner” arranged by Igor Stravinsky, “Conga del Fuego Nuevo” by Arturo Márquez, “And God Created Great Whales” by Alan Hovhaness and “Danzón No. 2” by Arturo Márquez.
“And God Created Great Whales” featured audio recordings of whales mixed with the live orchestra.
After the intermission, the orchestra played “Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64” by Pyoter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece has four movements that increase in speed until the “Allegro vivace” part of the finale.
Benjamin Mason, TMU’s assistant professor of music, conducted the orchestra, but senior music major Sebastian Salazar Perez conducted “Danzón No. 2.”
“I think it [the concert] went very well. It was something fun. I enjoyed it. It was a lot of counting in my head and keeping track of all the different instruments for sure, but I think it was great. It was fantastic,” said Salazar Perez.
Mason chose specific pieces to give the students variety.
“I have certain works I want the students to experience [during] their time here… I want them to play all genres. So we have Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th century literature, and Master’s has never done a Tchaikovsky symphony before…,” Mason said. “I wanted to let the school experience … [a] Tchaikovsky symphony because I think everyone should play that before they leave college, just like they need to play Renaissance.”
Paul Plew, professor emeritus of the school of music, enjoyed seeing how the music school has matured. Plew was the dean from 1979-2022.
“But when you’ve been in a place that long, you like to see the school of music continue to grow and mature, and it is,” Plew said. “I’m very encouraged … to see the students playing and the maturing of the students, and the Tchaikovsky was phenomenal, and I loved seeing Sebastian conducting one of [the] major works.”
The next orchestra concert is Come Christmas Sing! on Dec. 1 and 2. Buy tickets at https://www.showtix4u.com/events/schoolofmusic/.
The TMU Mane 