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Zsolt Eder, lecturer of music and violinist at string orchestra, thanks all the audience for presenting in the concert. This concert showcased the Washburn String Orchestra alongside the Fetter String Quartet.
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Rebecca Meador (left), guest flutist and Eder (right), play their respective instruments. The first piece performed in the concert was “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050, I. Allegro” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
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Dan McCready, double bassist, performs on double bass. McCready, who founded the Northeast Kansas Civic Orchestra in 2018 to fill the “orchestral gap” in Topeka, was honored with the Kansas Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (KASTA) Young Teacher of the Year Award in 2024.
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Raffaele Cipriano, director of orchestras and assistant professor of music, conducts the concert with a baton. A total of eight pieces were performed at the concert.
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Syneva Colle, guest cellist, speaks about the piece she was about to perform as a soloist. Colle performed pieces “From Jewish Life (1924), movement I,” “Prayer,” by Ernest Bloch (1880–1959).
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Colle performs solo. The concert was divided into two parts: in the first part, the Washburn String Orchestra performed and in the second part, chamber music was presented.
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Madeleine Jansen, guest violinist, performs a violin concerto in C major. Jansen performed in four pieces.
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Alfonso Hernandez, guest pianist, performs his part of piano. Hernandez performed in four pieces.
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Jansen (left), Hernandez (middle), Colle (right) perform on their respective instruments. They performed “Bouquets d’étoiles” by Alexandre Ouzounoff.
On Friday, April 24, a concert at White Concert Hall featured the Washburn String Orchestra and the Fetter String Quartet. Around 50 spectators were present to attend this concert.
Zsolt Eder, lecturer of music and violinist at string orchestra, opened the concert by thanking the audience for attending. Eder described the event.
“This is an annual event that we hold here at Washburn where we bring faculty, guests from outside to come work with our students,” Eder said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for fresh produce to also play with them on stage. That’s the idea behind this event. We look forward to continuing this event every year.”
Syneva Colle, guest cellist, performed the solo cello piece “From Jewish Life (1924), movement I,” “Prayer,” by Ernest Bloch. Colle described more about her piece.
“Most of us learn it as students and then throughout life continue to play it because it’s just so well written for the instrument,” Colle said. “Ernest Bloch was an American composer with a Jewish heritage and a very religious upbringing. So most of his music reflects his Jewish heritage. The prayer features a very simple melody that evokes a religious hymn. My favorite thing about this piece is that it has a communal call and response aspect to it, the cello and the ensemble trading off the melody back and forth.”
The concert was presented in two parts, with a short intermission between them. The first part featured the Washburn String Orchestra and the second part focused on chamber music. It was conducted by Raffaele Cipriano, director of orchestras and assistant professor of music.
Madeleine Jansen, a guest violinist, introduced “Bouquets d’étoiles” by Alexandre Ouzounoff, noting that it can feel like a journey to listen to without context.
Jansen explained that the piece was written for her piano trio after she collaborated with the French composer on a chamber music recording project over the past few years. Through that work, she got to know him well, and he later offered to write a new piece for her, asking what instrumentation she would like. She chose her piano trio, and they were excited to premiere the work he created.
This annual event at Washburn brings together faculty and guest artists from outside to work with students, creating a valuable opportunity for collaboration and for students to perform alongside them on stage. The Washburn Music Department will continue organizing more musical events, including a Jazz Ensemble concert at Hurd Recital Hall on May 5 at 7:30 p.m. For additional details, visitors can check the department’s website.
Edited by Stuti Khadka
