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The program is set for the 31st Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Competition at the College of Music.
At last week鈥檚 semifinals, 10 graduate students from different programs performed for faculty judges and five groups emerged as the finalists for the college鈥檚 premier performance competition.
Named for the late Bruce Ekstrand, a former vice chancellor for academic affairs, the competition invites any graduate student to compete for the chance at a cash prize to be used toward recording, other competitions, performance and outreach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal for us to get to perform music we love in a different setting,鈥 says soprano finalist Alicia Baker.
This year, Baker is joined by Joshua DeVane, baritone; Andrew Brown, cello; Maria Kurchevskaya, piano; and Leanne Hampton, flute, at the Ekstrand competition finals on Sunday, Nov. 13.
Each performer sees their 15 minutes on stage as a chance to share music that has shaped their lives.
Joshua DeVane, baritone, and Mac Merchant, piano
鈥淭his is all music that I love and I鈥檓 excited to get the chance to perform it.鈥 Joshua DeVane performs Tom Cipullo鈥檚 鈥淎nother Reason Why I Don鈥檛 Keep a Gun in the House,鈥 Schubert鈥檚 鈥淎n die Leier鈥 and 鈥溍 vin dissipe la tristesse鈥 from Ambroise Thomas鈥 鈥淗amlet鈥 with pianist Mac Merchant. As one of two vocalists on the program, DeVane, who sang the role of Eisenstein in Eklund Opera鈥檚 fall production of 鈥淒ie Fledermaus,鈥 says he鈥檚 looking forward to the chance to show off a different side of his ability.
鈥淲e performed the pieces in studio and someone said, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 know you could make sounds like these.鈥 Everyone鈥檚 only heard me sing operatic pieces before,鈥 he says.
Alicia Baker, soprano
Alicia Baker, the other singer in the competition, agrees.
鈥淲e鈥檙e doing art song, so it鈥檚 a different kind of singing. You can be more artistic because you don鈥檛 have to project over a symphony.鈥
Baker, who will also share the stage with pianist Merchant, performs 鈥淜atherine Howard鈥 from Libby Larsen鈥檚 Henry VIII song cycle 鈥淭ry Me, Good King,鈥 鈥淎 une Fontaine鈥 from Darius Milhaud鈥檚 鈥淨uatre chansons de Ronsard,鈥 Adele鈥檚 Audition Aria from 鈥淒ie Fledermaus鈥 and Marx鈥檚 鈥淢arienlied.鈥
With such a wide range in repertoire between his two collaborators, Merchant says it鈥檚 been a fun challenge to prepare for the competition.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really an appetizer plate of music,鈥 he says. 鈥淎licia鈥檚 Henry VIII songs were harder to latch onto at first, but that鈥檚 a good thing because it means we could always go deeper into them. And I love Josh鈥檚 two songs because people probably haven鈥檛 heard them before.鈥
For both Baker and DeVane, the range of works they鈥檒l perform puts their versatility to the test.
鈥淲hen you do a program of several short pieces, you have to switch modes really quickly. Each piece is like a little microcosm of an emotion,鈥 says DeVane. 鈥淚n my set, I鈥檒l fight back tears one moment and sing a drinking song the next.鈥
Andrew Brown, cello, and Madoka Asari, piano
Cellist Andrew Brown, who performs with his wife, pianist Madoka Asari, says rehearsals have taken on a different tone than they would if he were preparing for a recital.
鈥淏oth events are similar in that as a musician I am always aiming for higher limits, and I strive to emotionally distract the audience from 鈥榬eal鈥 life, even if for a few minutes at a time.
鈥淭he difference in a competition is that I expect every other musician to bring their best performance to the stage, which becomes an even more motivating incentive for me.鈥
The couple will play Robert Schumann鈥檚 Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70, and Gaspar Cassad贸鈥檚 鈥淒anse du Diable Vert鈥 in hopes of taking home the professional development money and repeating what Brown says was one of his most rewarding experiences as a musician.
鈥淟ast summer, Madoka and I organized a recital in her hometown of Sapporo, Japan. It was incredibly valuable to discover how much it really takes to put together a successful performance, and that鈥檚 not even including the time spent in the practice room. We hope to make that performance an annual one.鈥
Maria Kurchevskaya, piano
For Maria Kurchevskaya, the competition is a chance to take the audience on a musical tour of her home country.
鈥淎s a Russian pianist, to share the Russian culture and its great musical heritage with people in the United States is thrilling,鈥 she says. 鈥淚'd like to treat this performance opportunity as a special gift to share the incredible beauty of these pieces with people who love and appreciate music.鈥
Kurchevskaya鈥檚 program features beloved music for piano by two Russian masters: Tchaikovsky鈥檚 鈥淒umka,鈥 Op. 59, and Rachmaninoff鈥檚 Etude-Tableau, Op. 39, No. 5.
鈥淚 feel a special intimate connection with the music of Rachmaninoff, since my own musical roots go all the way back to Konstantin Igumnov, a friend and colleague of the great composer,鈥 Kurchevskaya adds.
Leanne Hampton, flute, and Grace Burns, piano
Wind instruments will be represented on Sunday as well: With pianist Grace Burns, flutist Leanne Hampton plays Gaubert鈥檚 鈥淔antasie,鈥 Paganini鈥檚 Caprice No. 4 and Beglarian鈥檚 鈥淚 Will Not be Sad in This World.鈥
The Beglarian is particularly poignant to Hampton. 鈥淚 love the sound and tone of the alto flute,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 was inspired by a performance of this work by a former CU flute graduate and dear friend, Andrea Murano, and I think of her when I'm playing it.鈥澨
Hampton says over the course of the preliminary-, semifinal- and final-round performances, she鈥檚 added yet another valuable skill to her musical toolbox.
鈥淜eeping the music fresh, exciting and imaginative over a long stretch of time is a skill I'm constantly addressing in my practice!鈥
Judging the smorgasbord competition will be former College of Music faculty member Julie Simson, Professor Emeritus Larry Graham and composer Ofer Ben-Amots. Baker says they鈥檒l have their work cut out for them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost going to be like comparing apples and oranges. It鈥檚 hard to compare vocalists and different kinds of instrumentalists,鈥 she says.听
But regardless of how the competition turns out, Brown says the finalists are all keenly aware of what a unique opportunity this is.
鈥淲e are fortunate at this school to have grants to apply for professional development鈥攚hich is what I did in the case of the performance in Japan鈥攁nd that is exactly the design of this competition: professional development.鈥
Adds DeVane, 鈥渆very audition is a competition. I think a lot of smarter musicians learn how to perform by performing in competitions like this鈥攏ot just taking lessons and talking about performing.鈥
On top of the $2,000 grand prize, $1,000 is up for grabs for second place, $500 for each of the other contestants and $500 for the audience choice prize.
The 2016 finals of the Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Performance Competition are Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. in Grusin Music Hall. You can watch live online at the Livestreamed Performances page.
