The orchestra’s cellists harmonize.
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
The November Arts Showcase featured performances from the Orchestra and Jazz Ensembles, and a one-act play festival.
To wrap up the fall semester, the Arts at Virginia Wesleyan University had many performances open to students and the public. The Orchestra Fall Concert, Jazz Ensemble Fall Concert and One-Act Festival occurred from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23.
Alexander Chen directed the Orchestra Fall Concert. It is Chen’s first year at VWU. Cory Franklin directed the Jazz Ensemble; he has been at VWU for two years and is an alumnus. Finally, the One-Act Festival was directed and performed by students with a strong love for theater.
On Nov. 21, the orchestra put on its fall concert, performing classical music in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. At its conclusion, the performance received a standing ovation, which showed the students’ talent and the audience’s positive reaction to the concert.
On Nov. 22, the Jazz Ensemble performed different jazz styles, including pieces like “La Vie en Rose,” which was made famous by Louis Armstrong, and “All Blues” from the album “kind of blues,” written by Miles Davis. This concert was also held in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. The ensemble consisted of drums, saxophone, piano, guitar, trumpet and mallet percussion instruments.
Cory Franklin, the director of the ensemble, joined the students on stage playing the saxophone, exacerbating the feeling of improvisational music, a defining element in jazz music.
“I think it’s in my blood; grandparents were musicians, parents were musicians, I’m a musician,” Franklin said.
“Dr. Squinobal, who used to be my professor here, gave me the opportunity. You know, set me up to be doing what I am doing right now, so I’d like to say thank you to him again for, you know, trusting me and giving me this opportunity,” Franklin said.
Franklin also discussed the process of selecting the musical pieces for the concert, saying that he wanted something the students would enjoy and would want to play.
“If the students, or the performers, like the music, they try to play it better,” Franklin said.
Luke Arters, a sophomore, played the drums for the performance. Arters has been playing the drums for six years. “My passion for music made me pursue drumming in the ensemble because I wanted the experience of playing with others as a band,” Arters said. Arters also discussed how, in preparation for the performance, he was able to learn how capable he was of playing the drums. Arters said, “My favorite piece musically is ‘All Blues (Kind of Blue).’ My favorite piece to play on the drums is ‘Soul Intro/The Chicken,’”Arters said.
Maddie Diaz, a sophomore, played the keyboard during the performance.
“Being confident was really hard in the beginning, but after getting to know everyone, it was a lot easier. Now I feel really comfortable being a part of the jazz band,” Diaz said. Diaz has been playing the piano since they were five years old and joined the ensemble because they love music and wanted to do something music-related on campus.
“I learned that it takes a lot of dedicated people to work together in an ensemble well,” Diaz said, discussing what they learned from preparing for the concert.
When asked about what he felt changed in the students from the start of the semester until the performance, Franklin talked about how he could see a confidence change in how they played, especially how they played together. Franklin mentioned that at one rehearsal, he had ended up arriving late, but when he got there, the ensemble was already playing the music, showing the passion they all had for the music.
Cameron Mailoux performs with his baritone saxophone.
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
Wrapping up the weekend was the One-Act Festival on Nov. 23, featuring 10-minute-long plays directed by students at VWU. The festival was held in Beverly Hall.
The directors of the plays were Annie O’Shea, a senior, who directed “First Communion;” Erin Andrews, a senior, who directed “Members Only;” John Post, a senior, who directed “Smoke Scenes;” Emily Lutz, a senior, who directed “Too Much Lesbian Drama: One Star;” Judah King, a senior, who directed “Apres Opera;” Emma Wehr, a senior, who directed “A Matter of Husbands;” and Jacob Underwood, a senior, who directed “He Said, She Said.”
King directed “Apres Opera” for the One-Act Festival.
“It’s okay to be human. There were times when I didn’t know how to give direction to help an actor. The cast would assist each other and get the action I wanted. My most used quote during rehearsal was ‘It’s all right; we’re all human.’ Mistakes are a part of life, and I wanted to provide a consistent safe space for them to explore their characters,” King said when asked about what he learned from the experience.
Molly Brennan, a junior, played the role of a famous actress in “A Matter of Husbands.” Although Brennan did not originally plan on trying out, her friends strongly encouraged her, and she learned that she loved performing and entertaining others.
“It was definitely a bit challenging to not take myself too seriously while acting and just let myself have fun. However, my director and castmate were always incredibly gracious and helped me feel at ease,” Brennan said.
Wehr directed “A Matter of Husbands.” Wehr talked about what it was like directing and what she had learned from directing.
“One of the biggest obstacles was making the comedy seem natural while keeping the story believable,” Wehr said. Wehr mentioned that the humor and cleverness of the play drew them to choose it, ‘the humor and clever manipulation in the play made it a fun challenge to direct,” Wehr said.
Wehr also talked about what she had learned during this experience.
“I had to quickly learn how to communicate and guide actors to bring out the best in their characters,” Wehr said.
These three performances were a way to showcase the talent of the students here at VWU, their progress during the semester and the hard work they put into their craft. Another event in the arts to wrap up the semester was A Wesleyan Christmas, featuring performances from the choirs at VWU: Bravura, Camerata and Vox Vera, who performed traditional and contemporary holiday songs Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m.
By Mia Diehl
