Oh, What a Night!

On the evening of Sept. 15, a handful of Stevens Orchestra students attended the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra (RSO) concert, ‘FALLA, CHOPIN, and TCHAIKOVSKY’. The students were encouraged to go, especially due to complementary tickets from their conductor Larry Markiewicz, who is also the Assistant Conductor of the RSO.

The concert took place at the Nicholas Music Center at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, a 25 minute walk from the New Brunswick train station.

The diverse program consisted of three pieces: “El Amor Brujo” by Manuel de Falla, “Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21” by Frédéric Chopin, and “Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Pathétique” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Thomas Cunningham was the conductor for the night.

Consisting of mainly Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) students, the RSO looked and sounded incredible: bows moved in sync, fingers flew over keys, and audience members were on the edge of their seats, captivated by the music.

Senior Biomedical Engineering major and concertmaster for the Stevens Orchestra Sal Finocchiaro said he enjoyed the concert for the “musicians’ professionalism and musicality”. He felt that the music touched him emotionally, explaining, “it’s only usually when I play an instrument that I work up a sweat, [but] rarely do I exert energy when just listening to music. The RSO concert had me on the edge of my seat, sweating at some points, grinning at others. I appreciated the dedication of all the musicians and the conductor.” He adds, “My favorite piece was the Chopin piano concerto because I saw a great amount of passion and exuberance in the soloist [Enriqueta Somarriba] as she played.”

Sophomore Physics major and cellist, Jacob Kosowski, also enjoyed Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.” “The soloist [Somarriba] was wonderful. It was great to see how much she felt the music as she played. You could tell that she connected with the music,” Jacob said.

Emme Scharmann, a 3/5 Mechanical Engineering major and cellist, thought the concert was great. “Everyone was so expressive! Not only were they great to listen to but fun to watch,” she states. “I think it is so important that we continue to promote and foster a love for the arts, especially the classical arts, in this age of technology.”

Seeing and hearing the RSO perform made me so happy. Seeing and hearing young and talented musicians perform live is incredible. Although I am not a music major, my passion for music and playing violin has been a constant throughout my life. It was an unforgettable night with technically brilliant music that I got to share with some of my orchestra friends from Stevens. Oh, what a night!

For more information about RSO performances, visit www.masongross.rutgers.edu. For more information about the Music and Arts opportunities available at Stevens, visit https://www.stevens.edu/campus-life/arts-campus.