A concert night inspired by outer space and the stars
On December 7, 2017, iCLA’s students and the YGU Wind Brass Ensemble joined forces to present an evening-length concert inspired by outer space and the stars in the iCLA main lobby.
This edition of the Music Gala successfully integrated a variety of musical styles and mediums reflective of the diversity of iCLA Music workshops offered in the Fall semester: Koto, Shakuhachi, Keyboard, Vocal Ensemble, and Music and Creativity. The evening also included special guests performances by a few of iCLA’s faculty and staff members.
The concert was entertaining for the spectators, and was a major (yet rewarding) challenge for iCLA’s young performers. The students learned and rehearsed a large number of new pieces, and some witnessed their own compositions being performed for the first time.
Pauline Therese Arejola, who participated in the Music and Creativity, Koto, and Vocal Ensemble workshops, presented an impressive solo vocal work. She had this to say about her experience: “The best thing about the Winter Gala is that you get to collaborate with creative artists, composers, songwriters, musicians and singers. You get to see and experience how diverse iCLA students are in music making. Performing for an international audience was an honor because I was able to share my music with them. Even though we all speak different languages, one language connected us all, and that is music!”
Sao Khue Phan Xuan offered her original musical theatre piece Asteroid B612, a musical dialogue in which the lyrics were inspired by the children’s novel The Little Prince. After the performance, Sao Khue explained: “It was satisfying! Not only because I get to see what I created, but also when the performance and the performers see the story I wrote from their own perspective, I think it creates an interesting narrative.”
Overall, the students did a great job in delivering such a remarkable level of performance which brought everyone together, including the sizable audience, despite limited preparation time. Audience member April Angel Lee Felipe added: “It was a pretty cool event because I was exposed to different kinds of music and I was also able to talk to new people!”
The audience at the Winter Gala 2017John Cheung, as an exchange student at iCLA who experienced the Music Gala for the first time, remarked: “The gala was a great experience, seeing all the creative musicians and composers, and great performance by the students. It was really a nice opportunity to meet with friends and enjoy such a wonderful night at iCLA!”
By Sam Sernavski