Cerritos College music department and ASCC presented the “Do You Hear What I Hear? “ lecture and piano concert series on Friday, April 25. The concert series consisted of harmonic, melodic and rhythmic styles of the 20th century.
Christine Lopez, director of the applied music and piano studies programs, started off the event with a power point lecture about three composers of the 20th century.
“I selected these composers for a numbers of reasons. They all had their own unique way of composing during this time,” said Lopez.
The first composer was Igor Stravinsky from Russia. Stravinsky was one of the most important and influential composer of the 20th century and notable for his stylistic diversity.
The second composer presented was Darius Milhuad from France. Milhaud was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century and heavily influenced by Brazil, where he spent two years during World War I.
The last composer Lopez discussed was Aaron Copland from the United States. He was considered a “Truly American” composer experimenting with vague beginnings and endings and rapid key changes.
After the lecture, Cerritos College faculty members performed pieces by the composers discussed in the lecture.
Lopez introduced the first performer Greg Scheiner, who has performed as soloist with the Los Angeles Concert Orchestra and various others. Scheiner holds master degrees in piano performance from UCLA and Western Illinois University.
Scheiner performed ‘Sernade en la’ by Stransky. This piece consisted of four movements that left the audience captivated.
“It’s a great way to learn,” said Scheiner about the event “We are very lucky to have it happening at Cerritos College and it’s a great way for students to expand their horizons.”
The second performance was by Paul Da Silva and Christine Lopez. Paul Da Silva is seasoned soloist, recitalist and church musician. He has been featured on numerous concert series including the CSUN Chamber Music Series.
“These events show the students the live version of studying art. When people do it live it is a different energy in the room that you can’t duplicate in a classroom,” said Da Silva.
Both, Da Silva and Lopez, performed ‘Le Boeuf sur la toit, Op. 58’ by Milaud on the same piano. According to Lopez, the title of the piece is of an old Brazilian popular tango with the music inspired by Brazil.
The third performance was by Johanna Chen. Chen received her Bachelors of Arts in music and her Masters of Music from the UCLA and has performed numerous recitals and concerts in the United States and abroad.
Chen performed a solo piece named ‘The Cat and Mouse’ by Aaron Copland. The performance delightfully depicts how a mouse scurries up and down a keyboard while a cat quietly stalks it.
The last performance was by both Chen and Lopez. They performed a piece by Copland titled ‘Danza de Jalisco’ which there was performed in two pianos.
“I have never listened to piano music in my life so this was a good experience,” said audience member and art major, Steven Youssef “They were all pretty good and all have different styles.”
