Noteworthy achievements
Flutist and singer are the winners of the annual Lawrence Genser competition
Jeanne Fronda Staff
Photo by Derek Law.
Frank Zappa once said, “Music, in performance, is a type of sculpture. The air in the performance is sculpted into something.” Well, five U of M undergraduate students were busy creating several new sculptures during the annual Lawrence Genser scholarship competition.
During the February 24 concert at the faculty of music’s Eva Clare Hall, five undergraduate students gave their all during a night of over two hours of live performances.
And it was flutist Cassandra Capsley who impressed the judges. Moving easily between fast and slow tempos, Capsley stood on stage and remained rather poker-faced through all four of her performances. A small interruption — an audience member lightly slapped a piece a paper for a brief second — during her “Soliloquy for Solo Flute” by Lowell Liebermann didn’t phase her.
“I thought [my performance] was good,” said the 20-year-old student as she waited outside the hall before the results were announced.
Capsley practiced four hours a day in preparation for the finals, but she remained a little unsure and doubtful of her performance.
“There were mistakes here and there,” she said modestly. But the judges were in complete disagreement with her, as they gave her first place.
The runner-up spot went to singer Sarah Halmarson, a fourth-year student. Her impassioned rendition of “Ach, ich fuhl’s” from Die Zauberflöte was moving, as the singer held a forlorn expression on her face throughout her performance. Her fourth and final song, “Laurie’s Song” from The Tender Land, catered more to those who are unfamiliar with opera or classical music, as it was in English and sounded like something one could hear on Broadway.
“It’s encouraging,” said Halmarson about her spot as runner-up. “It must be hard [to decide the winner]. It’s strange. Usually I compete against other singers. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.”
In the same vein as Halmarson’s energetic performance was second-year student Christopher Kayler’s. A finalist in last year’s Genser competition, Kayler was confident and showed a lot of growth in his onstage performance. During his piano performance the 19-year-old would briskly jerk his arm in the air upon completion of a series of notes. At one point he even lifted his arm over and above his head at the end of a run. Ultimately Kayler gave the most engaging show because of his stage presence.
“[Performing] is kind of like a trance-y sort of thing,” said Kayler, who, when performing on stage, would often look like he was almost mouthing the words to something.
Another musician who proved he was clearly comfortable in front of an audience is 21-year-old violinist Albert Bergen. Originally from Germany, Bergen has played the violin for 15 years. He looked solemn while on stage, as he didn’t display a lot of emotion in his face. During his performance of the fast paced “Allegro con Brio” by Sergei Prokofiev, an audience member applauded by yelling, “Hello!”
Viola player Sarah Cole also had a strong appearance. But since the majority of her songs were not accompanied with a piano, the pieces (J.S. Bach’s “Sonata, Op. 25, No.1” and Paul Hindemith’s “Suite No. 3 in C major”) appeared to lack variety and seemed predictable, so it was difficult for audience members who are unfamiliar with classical music to stay interested in her performance. Regardless, the 20-year-old’s viola performance was smooth and pleasant.
But in the end, perhaps Capsley summed up what matters most about competitions like the Genser.
“I’m surprised and excited,” said Capsley. “But what matters most is getting more comfortable on stage and having the stamina to give a better performance.”
