A Concert Report Sample

Overall I actually enjoyed the piece more than I thought I would. It had a nice tempo that allowed listeners to be engaged and even when the volume dropped the violins played a softer texture as if they were inviting you to listen closer and pay more attention. Generally, the theme was also joyful which I took notice of and enjoyed. Lastly, I didn’t notice any musical mistakes, and thought the piece was well played.

On the night of February 11, 2017, Sarah and I traveled to the Music Hall at Fair Park to see Broadway’s hit “An American in Paris.” This was one of the most breathtaking shows I have ever experienced. From the talented dancing, magnificent acting, and wonderful singing it was a great way to spend my night! George and Ira Gershwin composed the music in this show the and the performers did a fabulous job making it entertaining. It was an amazing show to get to write about for my last Honors Paper, and I hope to see it again one day.

On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, UAB presented a faculty recital. The concert entailed performances by Denise Gainey and Yakov Kasman. Gainey was the soloist and Kasman was the accompanying pianist. The atmosphere of concert, depicted by the music and musicians, was sort of a roller coaster. One minute the mood was down and like a lullaby; next it was expressive and full of emotion; then it was up and intriguing.

One thing that was interesting to me about this concert was the order which the songs were performed. Typically when I attend concerts the fun and lighthearted songs are toward the end as a sort of “reliever” from the seriousness. In contrast, this concert had the lightheartedness mixed in with the more serious or slower songs to keep the audience’s attention. For example, to start the concert there were two traditional songs that were performed, Jubilate Deo and Alleluia. These songs have many different arrangements using essentially the same word but with a different notes and rhythms and are mainly meant as “beauty songs” to show off the talent of the singers in areas such as tuning or tone. Both of those songs could be taxing to those who don’t regularly attend these types of concerts, so the chorus added in the song “The Battle of Jericho” which was a complete “one-eighty” from the style of the first two songs, grabbing the attention of people who somehow already lost interest. This pattern continued until intermission when the audience was allowed to talk to the performers and other audience members. In general, the order which the concert was put together was, I believe, intended to keep the audience’s attention, rather than just expecting the audience to listen because they’re

The violins played very softly giving this piece a quiet melody. The soloists in this piece did a very good job with a great use of vibrato and great articulation. The second violins didn’t start together at one point in the song, but overall they did an excellent job flowing with the overall orchestra providing the ensemble with beautiful harmony. The articulation and intonation was precise adjusting to the F minor key and overall providing the piece with a Romantic era

A great preparation was evident on Thursday by the Stage Band. One of the ensemble performances that I chose to write a review on was played by the Stage Band is called Uptown Funk arranged by M. Sweeney. I chose this piece because the Stage Band had played this piece magnificently; also they had kept the tempo consistent, they did not play too fast nor too slow. The piece was indeed played in tune. Nobody from the Stage Band was off tune, the beats were not off and they sounded like they were playing as a whole band instead of members of the Stage Band playing randomly together. The Stage band did played the piece rhythmically; the rhythm that the Stage Band played is a lot like the actual song that was sung by Bruno Mars. There were also

On Saturday, November 7, I attended the Day of the Dead concert conducted by Donato Cabrera at the San Francisco Symphony. It was very festive, there were many people wearing traditional Mexican clothing, colorful skull masks and face paint. Death is often portrayed as something solemn, and it is, but this festival is also exemplifies that it can also be a time to rejoice and remember the wonderful memories of loved ones who passed away, which is why I think the festival is so unique.

On Friday, November 6th, I had the pleasure to witness the Starkville/MSU Symphony performing a plethora of classical pieces all conveying the message that music is most certainly a universal language. The program was set in Lee Hall. The hall itself has two levels, one is the ground level and the other is the balcony level. The stage was lighted very nicely and helped each instrumentalist stand out uniquely. The stringed instruments were in the front and the brass section was in the back, along with the percussion. The symphony directors were standing in the front of the stage. There was also a special performance by the children’s orchestra called the Sudduth Children’s

On Monday April 10, 2017 I had the unique experience of attending the Chamber Music Concert. I found out about the event through the moodle page and it seemed like a good fit for my first classical music concert. The venue for the concert was Bezanson Recital Hall where the concert promptly started at 7:30 P.M. It was a free event and so therefore the seating was first come first serve or general admission. As I arrived at the concert, light illuminated from the center stage where the first musicians eagerly awaited to perform. As I looked around I witnessed many people in the auditorium which seated about 200 people. The crowd ranged from middle-aged men and women to students supporting the arts and their friends. As everyone

Within this short summer session we as a class have gone over a multitude of musical works from the early Middle Ages and Renaissance times to the 20th century and beyond. I was already familiar with some of the selections, but personally connected to specific ones. There is a four part selection that I would like to dive into for your enjoyment. Each selection is from different time periods. The artists that will be covered are Vivaldi, Mozart, Berlioz and McCartney.

Once I attended the Ensemble, I soon realized that it was a recital for younger teens and children to perform. The first composition they played was Antique Hungarian Dances for Wind Quintet composed by Ferenc Farkas. The instruments

On April 11th, I went to the Faculty Artist Series at Wiedemann Hall here on campus. This concert was composed by Walter Mays, Dean Roush, and Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn. Prior to the concert, I was expecting to hear something like the psychedelic and futuristic music we were shown with the Martin Luther “Dream” piece, but man was I very wrong in what I was expecting. The concert hall we were in had the feel of a church and was a place where I felt like I had to be quiet and on my best behavior which is something that I hadn’t seen at a concert besides my elementary school Christmas recitals that were in a church. Other than that, the music wasn’t the greatest or most pleasing music I have ever heard, but I will note that the drums sounded awesome

My general reaction to the concert was that it was very relaxing and enjoyable. I was impressed with the musicians and the way they performed. The musicians were rhythmically together and seemed very prepared for the concert. The visual setup was attracting because the musicians had a variety of instruments displayed, some of which I never seen before. The atmosphere was relaxed yet intense upon the performers, which made me more attentive. The performers seemed to have put a lot of energy into the concert. I

​This critique will discuss the performance of The Chamber Singers and The University Singers in concert. This event was presented by the CSUB music and theater department which took place Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at the Frances B. Dore Theatre. For this event, I was well prepared since it took place on a Tuesday evening and I did not have to work. One thing I did differently to prepare myself for this concert was to take a pen and a small notebook to write down notes of what I observed.

My favorite part of this performance was the song “A Solitary Wish,” by Brian Balmages. This piece was performed by the Symphony Orchestra, and it was a combination of the songs “What Child is This” and “Carol of the Bells.” I liked the very full and beautiful sound of this piece. It was very powerful. I especially enjoyed the staccato that the violins were playing at the beginning. In contrast, I also liked the smooth legato sounds and bow strokes throughout the piece. The cellos in particular had a very nice legato sound.