The Music Department is hosting a master class with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Oboist Elizabeth Koch Tiscione at 7:00pm on October 23 in Barnes Hall.
Master classes are a unique opportunity for musicians and music appreciators to experience high level musicianship from incredibly respected performers. Such classes are usually presented in “music lesson” format; a small group of students receives direct instruction from a performer as if they were in a private lesson, while audience members vicariously receive the same instruction through observation.
Rufus Müller, an internationally known tenor and the Evangelist for Cornell’s performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in May 2018, recently held a master class with members of the Cornell choral program. Piotr Nowakowski, ‘18, was one of the members of the Glee Club who took part in Müller’s class. “It was stunning to watch how Mr. Müller kept identifying the weak points of every singer and instantly transform them in this fast-paced, interactive process,” he says. “What I’m the most grateful for is that the master class showed me new areas of exploration that I wouldn’t think of otherwise. It expanded my awareness about the potential range of vocal techniques and colors that are ultimately what separates the everyday from the dazzling.”
Piotr emphasized the value in attending master classes for audiences as well. Simply observing a highly talented performer and musician gives audience members exposure to knowledge they otherwise would never receive. “There are so many shared questions about performing that young singers have but go unanswered for a long time—and some of them can only be confidently answered by a singer who routinely performs in front of large audiences.”
There will be other master class opportunities in the music department this semester, including a jazz session with guest artist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, and on Nov. 15, pianist Amir Katz will work with the piano studio members.
