A&E
Family Weekend Recap
October 29, 2015
Hamilton Choir performs in Wellin
On October 23rd and 24th, the College Hill Singers and the Hamilton College Choir, led by conductor Rob Kolb, performed for both parents and students in Wellin Hall. College Hill Singers, a smaller, more select choir, performed three songs, two of which were sung excerpts from works of Shakespeare in honor of the upcoming 400th anniversary of his death. Immediately after, the choir, comprised of 53 Hamilton students, performed five songs. This included two beautiful Alleluias and an upbeat gospel piece to end the performance. Many of the choir members had solos throughout the performance, showcasing their impressive talent. The performances were well received and demonstrated the Hamilton students’ dedication to sharing their love of music.
A capella shines in Chapel
Among the many events that took place over Parent’s Weekend, one stood out in particular: the highly attended a capella concerts. The songs performed ranged from modern, such as a beautifully arranged rendition of Sia’s “Elastic Heart,” to classics, such as Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” and from high energy to quiet and poignant. Highlights of the evening included a creative medley of songs about flight performed by Duelly Noted, a rendition of The Buffer’s classic and always hilarious “If I Were Not a Buffer,” (now including a pitch-perfect mockery of Donald Trump and a joke about “knotty” freshmen that was met with nervous laughter from parents and students alike), and a performance of Britney Spear’s “Toxic” from The Hamiltones with vocals that very nearly brought the crowd to their feet. Watching these groups perform isn’t just entertaining, it’s incredibly impressive, a sentiment that was echoed in the crowd’s rapt attention and enthusiastic responses to all five groups. If you haven’t checked out one of these concerts, be sure to catch the upcoming Chritmas show.
Hamilton Orchestra
The Hamilton College Orchestra, under the direction of Professor of Music Heather Buchman kicked off the Saturday night concert with a performance of Mozart’s 1784 Symphony No. 36, known as the Linz Symphony. The entire symphony was written in just four days during a stopover on a trip from Vienna to Salzburg. The Orchestra also performed the first, second and last movements of Dvorák's Czech Suite. HCO is also working on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. They are collaborating with Utica Dance for the second year in a row.
Gamelan music demonstration
Students in Professor of Music Lydia Hammesley’s “Studies in World Music” class gave a demonstration of Javanese gamelan music on Friday, under the guidance of Joko Sutrisno of Sumunar Indonesian Music and Dance. It capped off a week of intensive daily lessons with Sutrisno, who accompanied the class on percussion. They played five pieces, including Sutrisno’s original piece, “Wong Donyo,” which incorporated elements of pop music. It was the clear audience-favorite. The demonstration also included traditional pieces “Manyar Sewu,” “Sayuk” and “Ayun-ayun.” The gamelan style is from the island of Java, and it emphasizes the interlocking of individual parts to create melodic structures. Hammesley teaches the class every other year.
Acoustic Coffeehouse
Alpenglow performed the third CAB Acoustic Coffeehouse of the semester this past Thursday. After an unexpected fire alarm postponed the concert, the band delivered a wonderful performance that had students out of their seats and dancing right in front of the stage. In addition to their soothing tracks, the band’s physical arrangement on stage was quite interesting. The lead singer was standing more towards the back of the stage, uniquely taking the focus away from the vocals and onto the performance as a whole.
Towards the end of the concert, the band brought three lucky contestants on stage to compete in a dance competition. Congratulations to the winner, Nina Byers ’16.
Jazz Ensemble Performs
The Hamilton College Jazz Ensemble performed six tunes for Family Weekend on Saturday night. The setlist included big band funk like Jeff Jarvis’s “Backdraft.” Other highlights of the night included Scott Arcangel’s arrangement of “My Favorite Things” featuring Sarah Hooper ’16 on vocals and a new piece by conductor ‘Doc’ Michael Woods, professor of music. The band has benefitted from an influx of new members, filling their previously undermanned trumpet section. Select members of the group will be performing in Café Opus in the Jazz Combo concert on Nov. 9. The Jazz Ensemble will also be performing there on Dec. 7, building on their setlist from the weekend. They’ll be playing new big band music from Doc Woods and bassist Lucas Phillips ’16.
F.I.L.M. brings Stacey Steers
Stacey Steers appeared in person this weekend as a part of the Fall 2015 F.I.L.M. series. She presented her 2011 film, Night Hunter, an astounding fifteen minute work of hand-made animation created the from over 4,000 collages and shot it in 35mm color. The most interesting aspect of the presentation, however, was the talkback with Steers. As she addressed the audience, she discussed the process of creating her film and compared her work with animations to her experience with drawing. At the end of the discussion, no one could doubt that she deserved being named a 2014 Guggenheim Fellow.