AUDITION ADVICE FROM NEC GRADS
THE SOLUTION TO DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES
PG. 8
PG. 6
WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR, NEC? PG. 4
PENGUIN PROFILE: TOM NOVAK
GIVING THANKS FOR DOCTOR WHO PG. 7
PG. 4
THE PENGUIN
PG. 3
ISSUE 55
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
N E C ’ S S T U D E N T- R U N N E W S PA P E R
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
Happy Thanksgiving From The Penguin! As the semester spirals into a flurry of recordings, concerts, and impending application deadlines, it can sometimes feel impossible to appreciate the joy of the holiday season (that is, beyond the arrival of gingerbread- and peppermintflavored beverages!) Thankfully, your trusty NEC newspaper is here to help! We've put our heads together to plan for Thanksgiving and help you get into the spirit. For those of you unfamiliar with our food-shoveling holiday, you can find a brief history on page 11, accompanied by delicious suggestions for expanding your waistline. Classical guitarist Raley offers peace-keeping sug-
gestions for dysfunctional family gatherings on page 7, and the NEC community takes a moment to express gratitude on page 4. And, if you'd rather use Thanksgiving break to power through and keep practicing, newly-minted BSO members Daniel Getz and Matthew McKay offer up stories and advice from their recent audition adventures to inspire you as you keep swimming. As always, thanks for your continued readership! Feel free to drop us a line at thepenguin@necmusic.edu-- new writers are encouraged to contribute, and we welcome comments and suggestions! See you in December, Penguins!
penguin CULTURE Your Monthly Sports Update!
by NICK TISHERMAN Oboist '16
FROM YOUR DEDICATED NEC SPORTS JOURNALIST
In case you weren’t sure, the Boston Red Sox just won the
April. I guess the only thing that fills people with pride to the
World Series. Thought the chaos in the streets on October 30th
point where they act ridiculous in the streets more than justice
was just pre-Halloween hysteria? You thought wrong. Yes, the
after an act of terrorism is baseball.
Red Sox edged out the Cardinals to become the World Cham-
pions, and all of Boston can finally rejoice. As if the college
streets kept me up past my bedtime, and yes, that odd old lady
students and twenty-somethings needed another excuse to go
with her walker shouting “Go Red Sox! Red Red Red Red Red
out and party.
Sox!” on Gainsborough was kind of weird. But, at the same
time, it was almost magical to see how easily and quickly the
I witnessed the madness with my own eyes. A bunch
On one hand, yes, the shouting and hollering on the
of friends and I headed over to
Sox could unite a city. The people
Fenway Park after the seventh in-
pouring into the Fenway area the
ning of game six. By that time the
night of the 30th were all rushing to
Boston police had already blocked
be a part of something much bigger
off a huge crowd from the stadium.
than all of them. They wanted to
We knew things would get crazy if
hear it, feel it, witness it themselves.
the Red Sox emerged victorious, so
as soon as we saw the fireworks,
ton Symphony have the same kind of
we turned around to bolt away
potential to unite masses of diverse
from the stadium, but the flood-
people. You saw it as you watched
gates had already opened.
the BSO Brass “World Series Fever”
Waves of college-aged kids came
video (if you haven’t seen it, check it
crashing down on the beaches
out on YouTube). Music, like base-
of Fenway Park. There was what
ball, is something we can all relate
seemed like an endless river of people gushing towards us along
I think orchestras like the Bos-
to somehow, and music on a grand THE CROWD OUTSIDE OF FENWAY PARK AFTER THE RED SOX BECAME THE SERIES CHAMPIONS
Boylston. Other tributaries fed the
scale (i.e. a symphony orchestra) has immense power to bring people
flow of excitement-seekers, and beer sloshed and sprayed as
together. Think about the effect the World Series had on Boston
people charged forth, cans and bottles in hand.
the next time you play in or watch a Philharmonia or Symphony
concert. Thankfully there is very little danger of drunk college
It was a sight to behold. It must be noted that the
celebrations in the streets after the World Series were 10 to
students flipping over cars after a Phil concert. You can’t say
20 times more obnoxious than the craziness that followed the
the same about a Red Sox game.
capture of the perpetrator of the Boston marathon bombing last
2
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
The Turkey of Eternity
by ANDREW NISSEN First-year GD Trombone
50 YEARS OF "DOCTOR WHO" AT THANKSGIVING
Currently, the Doctor is in his 11th incarnation, played by actor Matt Smith.
Gee, that was harder than I thought to put simply! I
guess after 50 years of being on air, there’s a lot of information to cover. Why am I thankful for a show about an alien time traveler, though? Now THAT is simple.
Doctor Who is a show that can go anywhere and do
anything. One week you can be hiding behind the sofa from statues that move only when you’re not looking in the episode Blink; the next week you will cry when the Doctor falls in love with a brilliant lady only to inevitably outlive her due to his long life in The Girl In The Fireplace; the week after that you can enjoy pure slapstick when the Doctor is forced to room with a 25-year-old slacker in The Lodger; after that, you can enjoy pure action-adventure escapism with the episode Dinosaurs On A Spaceship (three guesses as to what that’s about). As Thanksgiving comes around each year, many of us take the time to pause and reflect on what we are truly thankful for. And we do have an awful lot to be thankful for, don’t we? We live in a society that strives to be better than it currently is, we have (even if we forget it sometimes) a wonderful support network of friends, family, colleagues, and mentors, and we get to go to school and learn how to be artists! These are all vital and serious things. You may not think TV shows are vital and serious, but the show I’m thankful for is certainly NOT trivial. I am completely, utterly, and surrenderingly thankful for Doctor Who.
Put simply, Doctor Who is about an alien called the
Doctor, a time lord from the planet Gallifrey who just happens to look like a human and travels around in a spaceship shaped like a blue Police Box (the English hybrid of mobile holding cell/telephone box in an era before cell phones). This magical transportation device is called the TARDIS (always capitalized, and short for Time And Relative Dimension In Space), it's bigger on the inside, and it can travel forward or backwards in time, to Earth, or to the edge of the universe. The Doctor’s race has a special trick to longevity: when they are fatally injured, their DNA can "regenerate" and in turn develop a new body for themselves. In the real world, this was an ingenious practical solution to the problem of a retiring actor when a show and
The Doctor is a person who values words over vio-
lence, and he's like the crazy professor always trying to get out of a trap with some twine and a hairbrush. In The Rings Of Akhaten, one of my favorite episodes from the most recent series (what you Americans call a "season"), the Doctor is confronted by a sentient star that has convinced the inhabitants of the local system it is a god. The parasite god feeds on the stories and souls of its inhabitants, so to defeat the god the Doctor tells it a story. His story. And at 1,100 years old, it’s a good one!
The Doctor always travels with a human. That human is
the "audience surrogate" to whom you, as a fellow human, can relate. Therefore, the Doctor and his companions’ adventures become your adventures. Their emotional journey becomes your emotional journey.
I am thankful because, through his adventures, the Doc-
tor (an 1,100 year old time traveling alien) taught me to strive to be a better person.
Doctor Who celebrates the 50th anniversary since its
debut on November 23rd. It will air on BBC America and be shown in select cinemas throughout Boston and Massachusetts later in the month. If you want to start watching the TV series, you don’t have to wade through 50 years of history. Start with Season Five, broadcast in 2010.
character was still immensely popular in the United Kingdom.
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
3
penguin SAY THANKS "What are you thankful for at NEC?" "I'm grateful for my teacher Don Palma, all of my academic teachers, the security guards, the chefs, and the Beethoven statue. And the community is not so bad!" – Moe Winograd, junior, classical double bass
"I'm thankful that I get to work in a job that I love. The energy and commitment given each day by my colleagues and the students of NEC is outstanding and makes it fun to be at work." – Margie Apfelbaum
"Free BSO tickets!!" – Kate Miller, freshman pianist
"Ken Schaphorst, the head of the jazz department, does a great job at EVERYTHING– teaching classes, running auditions, etc." – Kaz George, fifth year Harvard program (jazz composiition)
4
"I'm grateful for all of the exercise I get while hunting for a practice room!" – Eric Viñas, freshman vocalist
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
"I'm grateful for the lifelong friendships I've made in my 15 years here...I've been here since 1998!" – Dave Devoe
All photos by Kate L Photography
"I'm grateful for the feeling of being welcomed at this school." – Karen Notovitz, freshman vocalist
"I love my teacher Natasha Brofsky because she's always focused and insightful." – Mira Luxion, second-year MM cellist
EAR TRAINING "I don't know how to look fierce 'cause I just am." "My standards are through the roof of the Prudential!"
"We love Tanya Blaich!" – Kevin Ward, Liz Dickerson, and Alida Doornberg, all vocal students
For those moments when you suddenly find yourself trying to make sense of a choice listening excerpt from someone's life. Overheard something funny and can't stop silently laughing? Submit to thepenguin@necmusic.edu.
"You are our Gabrieli hero of the morning!"
"Whoa, that horn looks really big on you!"
"Your trombone looks like a tangerine. Does it sound like a tangerine too?" - Anonymous trombone faculty
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
5
k a v o N Tom
penguin SPOTLIGHT by Andrew Nissen
Provost and Dean of the College Tom Novak graciously granted a few minutes of his busy day to answer Andrew's questions.
(even from a relatively small city), and I live close to Jamaica Pond which is very beautiful.
You have a great view from this office! Yes, that’s one of the nicest things about this office. Since many people traverse the street just outside here (on Huntington or Gainsborough) sometimes I see people I’ve been meaning to see or trying to reach and I can catch them coming in the front door at Jordan Hall!
Are there any memorable performances that stick out in your time here at NEC? There are many performances, but most recently I can recall the Rite of Spring concert. It was about ten days after the marathon bombings, it was the last concert of the year, we had a completely full house, and the combination of all of that was really an electrifying atmosphere. It’s an unbelievable piece. So inspiring. And it starts with a bassoon solo, too!
You played bassoon, right? Yes, I went to school as a bassoon major. I did a professional studies degree at Juilliard and I stayed in New York for ten years freelancing. Then, when I moved here for my job at NEC, I knew I would put the bassoon away for a while. But I still play. I'm a member of the Bethlehem Bach Choir in Bethlehem, PA. I’m on the Prep School faculty here at NEC, and I also coach chamber music here at the college level, which I very much enjoy. What do you wish you had PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY HURLBUT learned when you were a student? When I went to school things like the EM department didn’t really exist. I was very orchestrally focused, but I had the opportunity to play with a wind quintet and they liked me. I often tell students now to really be open to what might come forth as an opportunity that they may not have planned for. Of course it’s great to have a plan, but something may send you in different directions. So, Boston or New York? Well, I really did miss New York when I first left, but I’ve been in Boston for 13 years so this is really my home now. I enjoy the incredible history that Boston has to offer, the cultural aspect
6
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
What are you excited about for NEC’s future? Well, of course we are planning the new building and that is really long overdue. We’ve needed it for a long time, so it’s very affirming as well as inspiring that we are moving along and it looks like it might come to fruition. What’s on your iPod? I’m a bit of a news junkie, so in the morning I always have NPR on, but for music I usually listen to opera and vocal music, and when I want something a little more upbeat I listen to Cesaria Evora. Is there a dream guest you’d love to have come to NEC? My dream person would be Leontyne Price. She is one of my musical idols! When I was living in New York there was an event I knew she was going to be at. I had a ten-CD retrospective set of her works and I waited outside on a cool November day to meet her in person and get her to autograph my CDs! Do you read the Penguin? Yes, of course! I take the bus into NEC every day, so it’s good to have some reading material during the ride.
by RALEY BEGGS Second-year MM Guitar
Thanksgiving (Gut Feelings) MUSIC AS A REMEDY FOR DYSFUNCTIONAL HOLIDAYS Traditions never have a clear beginning in my family. While
the guitar down for those few days. And now, with airplane
others seem to have the inception of their traditions marked with
rides on either side of our reunions, leaving the guitar behind
a signed and dated black and white photograph, our traditions
is all the more enticing. I can’t tell if my peers share my exhaus-
only present themselves as a feeling of guilt in our guts after
tion, but my passion in music is almost always suffocated by the
considering changing our behavior. For example, every year
last few weeks in the semester. In these days, I’ve always felt
on Thanksgiving morning, my mother, sister, and I wake up very
that playing through my classical guitar repertoire from the fall
early and drive unreasonably far to participate in a ten kilome-
semester for my family is a bit like a physics scholar demonstrat-
ter road race creatively named a “turkey trot." None of us can
ing their mathematical prowess on a table napkin. But every
remember the first time we did this, and none of us ever really
year I do it, and every year I’m glad I do.
want to do it, but that boiling feeling of guilt shows up every
November when we all ask ourselves why we insist on tortur-
academic weariness by a mile. It isn’t about me, and it never
ing ourselves so early on a morning that should be reserved for
has been. Reserving time on Thanksgiving purely for listening to
relaxing. We don’t know when we started, but we still haven’t
music had never existed before the day I arrived with an instru-
missed a turkey trot.
ment. Now, every Thanksgiving, my whole family sits (almost)
entirely silent and listens as I play through a few pieces that I’ve
When our small dysfunctional family meets with the
Because playing music for my small family surpasses my
larger one, we still have strange “traditions” that we’ve come to
been studying that fall. Instead of filling that time with cheek
expect– for example, arguing over politics, arguing over sports,
pinching and a brand of slap-stick ridicule, it is filled with a slice
and arguing over who gets what part of the turkey. This joyous
of my life in music. It’s a peace offering of sorts, and it works
reunion lasts for a few hours until just before sunset when each
wonders for relieving family surface tension.
one of us piles in a different car and rides separate ways down
the road.
I’m going to look at my instrument in disgust. I’m going to pack
a bag, tie on my turkey trot shoes, and rejoice in the idea of
I don’t remember the first time I brought my guitar to our
The morning of my flight back home for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving dinner. I do know, however, that I feel guilty at the
passing through airport security as an anonymous plebian and
thought of not bringing it. Even with the token shouts every year
not a guitar-wielding hippie. But, as I grab my keys to leave, I
that ring “Skynyrd” through a smoky family room (someone’s gut
will look once more at my instrument and feel a cutting remorse
must hurt at the thought of silence), I always play a collection of
for myself and my family if I decide to leave it behind. Without
pieces and songs for my family.
any clear beginning, I will pick up and carry on my family tradi-
tion for this year’s flight and for many more flights to come.
Each year when I reach the long-awaited late Novem-
ber break in my scholastic suffering, all I can think of is putting
COURTESY OF OXFORDLANDING.COM
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
7
NEC in the BSO
by LUCI DISANO First-year GD Clarinet
For many of us, the thought of winning a job with a major US orchestra is a dream come true, but with all that we’re told about the scarcity of orchestral jobs these days, sometimes that dream can seem awfully distant. So, is winning a major job early in your career really something that’s possible? This month I had the chance to talk with two NEC alumni who have done just that. Violist Daniel Getz and percussionist Matthew McKay both recently won jobs with the BSO. They had some great advice and stories to share with NEC students about their transition from Jordan Hall to Symphony Hall.
Daniel Getz, BSO violist | NEC Class of 2011 Was the BSO audition your first audition, or had you taken professional orchestra auditions before? The first audition I ever took was for the BSO but I actually took it three times before I won. I think I had about nine total from the beginning. Six of them were for big orchestras and three were for part-time orchestras. Did you do anything differently for the BSO audition that you won? I think that for every audition you take you get a little bit more mature. Every audition is different, but at least you have a battle under your belt so you just know what you’re doing a bit more. This was the one. What do they say? It’s the last place you look. What was it like when you found out you won the job? It was a lot of things. It was a relief. Every time you go to a final and they come announce that somebody else got the job it’s so anticlimactic. When the personnel manager came down and offered me the job, he took me up to the stage to talk to the committee. I actually don’t remember much of what happened. It’s all sort of a blur. As soon as that was over I kind of regained consciousness and called my parents. [My mom] picked up the phone and said, “Hello,” sheepishly and she said, “I was kind of afraid
8
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
to answer the phone. I didn’t know what you would say.” I said, “Oh, well don’t worry because I got the job.” She started screaming and my eyes teared up. Did you find it challenging to take auditions while you were still in school? When you’re in school your job is to learn as much as you can and to absorb information and be inspired. When you’re out of school your job is to make rent I guess, so you actually have a lot more resources at your disposal when you’re in school. Do you have any advice for current NEC students who are pursuing orchestral careers? Take a lot of auditions. People think that they should limit themselves to smaller orchestras when they’re young, and I think that’s completely misguided. A lot of my fellow students would say things to me like “I auditioned for this smaller orchestra and I didn’t pass the first round, so I think I have no business auditioning for a Big Five or Big Ten orchestra. I’d have to say pay absolutely no attention to that. How you do at one audition is no test for how you’ll do at another audition. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t go well. You never know from one audition to the next what will happen. I certainly didn’t.
Matthew McKay, BSO percussionist | NEC Class of 2009 Was the Oregon Symphony audition your first audition, or had you taken professional orchestra auditions before? (Matthew was a percussionist with the Oregon Symphony for two seasons before joining the BSO) I wish it was the first one I took! I took maybe 12 auditions prior to Oregon. The Chicago Symphony was the first audition I took. It was a cattle call audition, so there were 300 people there and I was totally unprepared. I mean, I worked really hard but it was the first audition I took. It was sort of a wakeup call and really lit a fire underneath me. Were you ever discouraged when you were taking auditions before you won Oregon? I think the point at which is stopped being quite as discouraged was when I advanced at the Buffalo Symphony audition. I felt like once I hit that point where I advanced it was just kind of a matter of time, because at least I knew that there was something about my playing that people on the committee were actually attracted to. What was it like when you found out you won the job? The coolest thing actually was that were two openings, which is very unusual especially in a section like percussion. My best friend Kyle Brightwell got the other spot. This was always something we had talked about happening. He had taken the Oregon Symphony audition about a month before that when I was still in Oregon, but he got runner-up. For us to both win BSO on the same day was unbelievable. It was indescribable. Was there anything different about the BSO audition? The most notable thing about the audition is just how
challenging the list was. It was definitely the biggest list I’ve had to learn. I just remember after playing the first round just thinking how intense it was. It was so many difficult excerpts just one after another, and that never stopped. The final round must have been thirty minutes long and it just seemed never-ending. How did you manage to stay focused for that long in such a high pressure situation? Thinking about it now actually it seems incredibly stressful, but at the time you’re just in the moment. It’s do or die. You’ve got to go into survival mode. For me I was just really in tunnel vision. I barely knew what my surroundings were. I was just really in the zone. Did you find it challenging to take auditions while you were still in school? I think that the biggest advantage that you have being a student but also taking auditions is that you’re surrounded by other people who are doing the same thing. I think it really helps to see how other people are doing it, to keep your playing in check, and to make sure you’re not doing something that’s a little bit off the grid. Do you have any advice for current NEC students who are pursuing orchestral careers? When I was in Oregon I sat on the committee for the percussion audition, and it was really easy to tell when it was a young player or an inexperienced player because they would often rush to the next excerpt. The committee didn’t have enough time to even think about what they played. I try to take as much time as I can. Even when I do that it’s still not that much time because when the adrenaline is pumping it feels like so much time has passed.
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
9
penguin FOOD by LUCI DISANO First-year GD Clarinet
EASY THANKSGIVING RECIPES! It's that time of year again.
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and along with it comes one of my favorite things on Earth:
comfort food! It may be cold outside, but that also means it's finally cool enough to do some serious baking inside. I'm sure the majority of you will be having turkey this Thanksgiving, but let's be honest with each other for a moment. Aren't the side dishes really the best part of Thanksgiving? I certainly think so, and they're also much less intimidating for novice cooks. Below I've included two of my most favorite side dish recipes, the two things without which it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving for me. The third recipe is something brand new, but you won't want to miss it. FIND THE RECIPES ONLINE AT WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM!
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Puff
Pecan Pie Rugelach
This is one of those things that you
Crispy on the outside and soft on the
This year's Thanksgiving is unique
can find on almost every Thanksgiv-
inside, this recipe is deliciously simple.
because to our Jewish friends it is also
ing table throughout the country, but I
My mother makes these sweet potato
the first night of Hanukkah (popular
bet you didn't know how easy it is to
puffs every year, and they're the first
media has officially dubbed it Thanks-
make! Its ingredient list is short and
thing I go for at the Thanksgiving
givukkah.) The last time that Thanks-
you simply mix everything up in a
table. The beauty of Thanksgiving is
givukkah occurred was in 1888, but
casserole dish and toss it in the oven.
that once a year desserts can mas-
even more unbelievably it won't hap-
I only have one word of caution: Don't
querade as side dishes and nobody
pen again for another 70,000 years!
sample the French's before putting
seems bothered by it. This is one such
Even though I'm not Jewish, I totally
them in the casserole or you may find
side dish.
love any excuse for a holiday, and I'm
they disappear before you have a
planning to celebrate by making these
chance to add them!
pecan pie Rugelach.
10
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
HELP! I NEED A THANKSGIVING MEAL!
by SOPHIE ADICKES Vocalist '16
Staying in Boston this Thanksgiving? No plans? Good news! The heart of New England is the perfect location to celebrate American history and experience a truly colonial holiday. Clearly, Thanksgiving cannot be celebrated without food! Here are some of the bestrated options in the city for delicious homestyle Thanksgiving meals, including both prix fixe and a la carte options.
ArtBar
North 26
Red House
Edwin Lane Blvd, East Cambridge
26 North St. near Faneuil Hall
98 Winthrop St., Harvard Square
A more affordable prix fixe option with
Offering traditional Thanksgiving
A prix fixe feast inside a historical Colo-
organic turkey and a dessert bar. Call
specials and regular menu options
nial house, made complete with apple
617.806.4122 for reservations.
with Chef Julia Brant.
pie. Call 617.576.0605.
Sonsie
The Beehive
The Fireplace
Newbury St. near Mass. Ave
541 Tremont St., South End
1634 Beacon St., Brookline
This popular cafe offers a full prix fixe T-
An à la carte feast with live music
Known for its warm, hearty atmosphere,
day meal as well as their regular menu.
performed all day long. Reservations
The Fireplace will serve both traditional
Prime people-watching, too!
recommended: 617.423.0069
and unique à la carte options.
So what is Thanksgiving, anyway?! For those unfamiliar with our American holiday, Thanksgiving commemorates the Wamapanoag Indians’ kindness towards the Pilgrims when they landed in Plymouth, MA. The Indians helped the Pilgrims endure the harsh winter, teaching them how to hunt and farm. After a year of survival, the Pilgrims invited the Wamapanoags to join them in “Thanksgiving,” and both sides contributed to a bountiful feast. Abraham Lincoln made the holiday official in 1863, celebrating the harvest and a year of good fortune.
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
11
penguin CONCERTS NEC Chamber Orchestra
WEDNESDAY, N OVEMBER 20, 8 P.M., JORDAN HALL NEC's extraordinary, unconducted Chamber Orchestra contributes to the ongoing mini-festival celebrating the centenary of Benjamin Britten's birth. Coached by Donald Palma, the ensemble will perform an all-Britten program: Prelude and Fugue for 18 Instruments Les Illuminations song cycle with soprano soloist Nataly Wickham Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, the composer's homage to his teacher.
BSO Prelude: Marc Neikrug
THURSDAY, N OVEMBER 21, 7 P.M., WILLIAMS HALL NEC and the BSO have collaborated to present unique—and decidedly eclectic— hour-long Prelude concerts celebrating contemporary composers and featuring NEC musicians. Curated by the composers themselves, these feature a sampling of works that have been especially meaningful to the composer's musical life and vision. In addition to the musical performances, each composer will offer commentary on the works in conversation with BSO Assistant Artistic Administrator Benjamin Schwartz '03 M.M. After the Prelude, head to the BSO for the 8 p.m. concert!
A Night of Britten!
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 8 P.M., JORDAN HALL NEC's most popular chamber music series, curated by cellist Laurence Lesser, features faculty, alumni, students and friends. This evening will feature the Borromeo String Quartet performing Britten's String Quartet No. 2, as well as Schubert's Quintet in C Major (joined by Laurence Lesser). The program will also include Haydn's Trio in F-Sharp minor, performed by violinist Kristopher Tong, cellist Laura Blustein, and fortepiano player John Gibbons (all NEC alumni!).
12
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
THE PENGUIN N E C ’ S S T U D E N T- R U N N E W S PA P E R
PENGUIN PENMEN Kate Lemmon, editor Suzanne Hegland, faculty editor Sophia (Sophie) Adickes, writer Natalie Alper-Leroux, creative Raley Beggs, writer Isabella Dawis, writer Luci Disano, writer Stephen Garman, webmaster Andrew Nissen, writer Akenya Seymour, writer Nick Tisherman, writer Liz Tobias, writer Tong Wang, illustrator
SUBMIT SOMETHING! If you'd like to contribute an article, illustration, or idea, email a 1-2 sentence proposal to: thepenguin@necmusic.edu Please limit articles to 650 words.
ZODIAC OF THE MONTH BY AKENYA SEYMOUR
SCORPIO (APPROX. OCT. 23 - NOV. 21) As our days wane shorter and the death of summer reigns supreme, the Sun makes its way into the constellation Scorpius. Now comes the time to embrace transition, transformation, and rebirth. For the Scorpio, these things are a part of its inheritance, explored in depth throughout its lifetime.
Exploration, in fact, is a key element of the Scorpio’s journey; mysterious,
metaphysical, and taboo subjects particularly spark its interest. Scorpios are observant, intuitive and can be great healers. Scorpios also love to explore others, both emotionally and (especially) sexually. However, it is a struggle for them when the tables are turned, for the Scorpio loves to be in control.
Now, that being said, they can be manipulative, possessive, and obsessive.
However, Scorpio can channel that forceful (somewhat frightful) energy into passion, tenacity, and loyalty. Scorpios are incredibly successful in whatever field they choose to pursue, often attaining fame-- or infamy-- for their actions. Just know that when these sharptailed creatures are involved, power will most certainly ensue. PLANETARY RULER: Pluto and Mars
FAMOUS SCORPIO MUSICIANS: Benjamin Britten (Composer) Joni Mitchell (Singer/Songwriter) Bjork (Singer/Songwriter)
DIRECT OPPOSITE (DETRIMENT): Taurus POSITIVE TRAITS: Passionate, Resourceful, Intuitive NEGATIVE TRAITS: Obsessive, Manipulative, Brooding
FAMOUS SCORPIO NON-MUSICIANS: Pablo Picasso (Painter/Sculptor) Hillary Clinton (Secretary of State) Bill Gates (Programmer/Inventor/Billionaire)
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
13
penguins GET CREATIVE WHO IS AFRAID OF POETRY?
by NESLIGÜL KAYA Continuing Ed. '14
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA Poetry is—
Poetry is to lie to yourself in the most
the Time between me
Beautiful way possible. (and if you are good enough in
and me.
the most impossible way)
It is the moment between one looks at the mirror and the moment one sees
Poetry is Duality
His own eyes (and seeing one’s own eyes is Impos-
It connects this world to
sible...)
a presumed one, A described one,
Poetry is the harmony of words.
Even, an imagined one.
It is in the words, yes, but most of all, in the eyes of the
Every time a poem is written, a new world is created
stray dog
somewhere.
On Galernaya street. One look—and you are already shattered deep inside.
Poetry—is not to be afraid
Animals—cannot Lie.
Of being WRONG,
But we—do.
It is not to be afraid of being— Dramatic, tragic Absurd, or even stupid. It is not to be afraid—but that does not mean Courage necessarily (for courage can be boring at times) Poetry is to be AFRAID of one’s own self—and then— It is to OVERCOME one’s self. POETRY is to approach MAAaAaAAaaaaaaaaAAAAD NEeEeESS Word Per Word, Breath by breath It is a competition between madness and death.
TRACES, CREATED BY NESLI AT THE GUGGENHEIM IN NEW YORK IN 2012
14
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
Memento Mori
Memento Mori Memento Mori Poetry is to realize the harmony in the repetitions, In the tic-tacs of the Metronome. Time exists—because we die, Poetry exists—because we do not. POETRY IS FREEDOM, But how can one be free without chaining his own hands with music and words? Poetry is only a Moment, when nothing matters; It is to drink your last glass of champagne and salute your death in German, Poetry is to step into Bolshoi in your blue jeans and………say
STAIN, CREATED BY NESLI AT THE GUGGENHEIM IN NEW YORK IN 2012
“I am Prokofiev, and you?” Poetry is—trying to understand the humour of the one It is the magic that makes me everyone,
upstairs—if there is anyone at all, up
And no one (and being no one is much more difficult)
there,
With my own clumsy words…
It is to understand the humour of the Cosmos, And to leave your signature in an unknown galaxy.
Poetry is to realize that
Poetry “happens” when having a body no longer
The pace of my fingers
makes sense
Will ALWAYS ALWAYS be A LOT SLOWER
I should be laughing with my nose,
THAN MY MIND
Singing with my eyes,
And to know that my mind is already falling BEHIND
And perhaps seeing with my mouth,
competing against time,
My hands should become the sky
POETRY is to know all this, and yet it is still to KEEP
As my feet are already a part of the soil,
WRITING, leaving whole worlds behind.
I should burn all the words, to be fire,
Poetry Is REBELLION
Poetry is an invitation from hell,
But it is also absolute obedience
Where madness is a long waited praise
It is the drunk dance of the Black ink with the White
Memento Mori
paper (and Kandinsky shall be welcomed
Memento Mori
right here, right now.)
Memento Mori
Poetry is embedded in the delicate footsteps of a cat,
Poetry is the harmony,
It is in the pink-purple-crimson clouds of the North (I
In the immortal reprises of time
would have also invited Rembrandt here,
It is to write a requiem;
only if I weren’t so afraid of him)
We are all writing a requiem.
Poetry is—the embarrassed hands of a beggar And yes,
On a Bridge looking at frozen Neva river
The stray dog’s eyes will follow me every time I am
St. Petersburg, 2011
passing by Galernaya.
Seza Nesligul Kaya
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
15
penguin PHOTOS by Andy Hurlbut
2
1 3
4 6
5
7
1) Students from NEC's jazz, classical, and Contemporary Improvisation programs perform Leo Smith's civil rights epic Ten Freedom Summers. 2) French conductor Charles Dutoit leads a reading of Elgar's Enigma Variations with Philharmonia. 3) Soprano soloist Arielle Armstrong, '14, performs James Whitbourn's Annelies. 4) Elise Roth, Rebekah Holand, Gianna Barone, Liz Tobias, and Sam Jones sing backup vocals for the NEC Jazz Orchestra. 5) A member of the Philharmonia displays Red Sox spirit during an October 23rd concert with Julian Kuerti. 6) Elvis Costello, one of today's most respected popular artists, receives an honorary doctorate from NEC President Tony Woodcock after being presented by Hankus Netsky, Chair of the CI program. 7) Violists Dana Kelley, Kurt Tseng, and Steve Laraia collaborate in NEC's conductorless Chamber Orchestra.
16
NOVEMBER 19, 2013 | WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM