暗网吃瓜

It goes without saying that University campuses look and feel different this fall, but as we continue to social distance and limit the capacity of large spaces, musicians at the 暗网吃瓜 have found ways to stay connected with their audiences.

鈥淚 think we can challenge our views of what we think of as being an audience,鈥� says Rachel Waddell, musical director and conductor in the Department of Music in the School of Arts & Sciences.

The department is no stranger to nontraditional ways of reaching audiences鈥攑rior to the pandemic, they shared their work with virtual audiences through online live streams and social media. Livestreams allowed students鈥� parents and families who live far away from campus to catch a weekend show on the internet.

In March 2020, when COVID-19 led to the cancellation in-person classes for the rest of the semester, it was obvious that student ensembles would not be able to perform live for an audience for some time. It was disheartening for everyone鈥攆aculty, students, and audiences alike. But it was also a turning point.

Adapting tradition on the fly

鈥淚 had a choice to make,鈥� says Waddell. 鈥淚 could let the ensemble fizzle out, and say that鈥檚 that, or find some project that could bond us together, make us a community, and give a sense of finality for our graduating seniors.鈥�

Waddell decided to adapt the traditional performance of Tchaikovsky鈥檚 1812 Overture finale, which usually takes place in front of Rush Rhees Library to mark the final day of classes. The 15-minute composition鈥攌nown for its climactic volley of cannon fire鈥攊s a staple to accompany Fourth of July fireworks. The May 2020 performance of the piece at Rochester sought to recognize the graduating Class of 2020 as well as the community members serving in the fight against COVID-19.

Waddell recruited Stephen Roessner, a senior lecturer in the , to assist her, and the duo worked together to create a timeline and plan for the project. Waddell made tutorial screencasts to show herself using the technology, and a screencast of herself conducting with a click track. Meanwhile, the students submitted their recorded video and audio to Roessner, to be stitched together into one group performance.

鈥淵ou play in an orchestra and generally you鈥檙e following the conductor, and the whole orchestra,鈥� Roessner says. 鈥淓veryone had their own tempo, and everyone kind of had their own pitch, so there were some adjustments I had to make, to make sure everyone was playing together. And that鈥檚 to be expected, when you鈥檙e playing in an orchestra, you鈥檙e adjusting to everybody around you. You鈥檙e going to come to a come to consensus orally, you鈥檒l hear that you鈥檙e in tune with rest of the orchestra. But if you鈥檙e playing alone with no real reference point, then you can鈥檛 hear it.鈥�

The result was a virtual performance of , which was released on the University鈥檚 YouTube channel, including Instagram and Facebook accounts, reaching more than 40,000 people.

鈥淲hen you go back and read the comments, and you see how many times that it鈥檚 been shared, it鈥檚 like extending that audience experience,鈥� says Waddell. 鈥渋t鈥檚 different, but I think it鈥檚 valid nonetheless.鈥�

Coming up: A dual-orchestra performance

The success of the spring performance served as inspiration for the fall term. This semester the Symphony Orchestra is collaborating with colleagues in the Oberlin College Arts and Sciences Orchestra in a pre-recorded performance for release in December. The orchestras are taking on the arduous work of Beethoven鈥檚 entire Choral Fantasy along with selections of Pinar Toprak鈥檚 Captain Marvel.

Roessner is returning as audio engineer and Tiffany Chang, assistant professor of conducting at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, will do the visual engineering. Much like Rochester鈥檚, Oberlin鈥檚 orchestra consists of both students and musicians from the larger community. 鈥淭he biggest challenge has been finding creative ways to engage musicians who are unable to join us,鈥� says Chang.

Chang looks forward to the significant opportunity this gives Oberlin musicians to connect with new audiences. 鈥淪ure, it is not going to be anywhere near what a live concert looks or sounds like, but it has the potential to reach audiences we’ve never been able to reach before.鈥�

Waddell and Chang first met at the Hart Institute for Women Conductors at the Dallas Opera in 2019 and stayed connected. 鈥淲e were both exhausted and unsure of the future,鈥� says Waddell, a third place national winner for the in Orchestra Programming. Waddell decided not to look at Zoom and technology as a hindrance, but to look at it as way to move forward creatively.

Waddell sees this moment as an important opportunity for students to learn how to record and present themselves for video or virtual performance. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e auditioning for schools, music schools, grad schools, music festivals, competitions 鈥� what are you submitting to be evaluated?鈥� asks Waddell. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e submitting recordings,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen are we ever going to have that space to have that conversation with students again?鈥�