Duo treats Pierce to a free concert

Melissa Trahin mtrahin.roundupnews@gmail.com

Audience members in room 3400 in the Music building were taken through a roller coaster of emotions during Thursday’s weekly concert series.

Pianist Danny Holt and accordionist Merima Kljuco performed 10 songs from various cultures and composers, including three world premieres. Holt specializes in performing contemporary works, 20th music, and obscure and neglected repertoire from past centuries, according to the program sheet.

The bellow slowly opened and closed as the soothing sound filled the room. Then, a variety of mellow but sharp tones coming from the piano completed the first song played.

“I felt like the piano and the accordion were having a conversation, and the piano was used differently it’s usually an instrument that plays very smooth which is something I‘ve never seen before,” student Mayra Tovar said.

Attendees heard the world premiere of Canalie, which was recently composed by Robin Cox.

Duo Holt and Kljuco have been playing together for a few days but both have 24 years of experience and similar compositional processes.

Though both agreed on that concept, Kljuco added details and different aspects on how she describes real life things through her music.

“When you watch a movie and the scenes or when you see a picture you think wow music can describe that,” Kljuco said.

The song “38-25=31-25,” where Holt used drumsticks instead of his fingers and tossed ping pong balls to the piano, caused the most reaction from the audience..

“This was by far my favorite one. I usually start falling asleep,” Tovar said.

Usually when two instruments play together, the idea is to compliment one another in the same song, but the duo did the opposite to cause a sense of individuality.

“It is like playing around with chaos and control,” Holt said. “We respond to each other in our opposite ways.”

On what goes through her mind while performing, Kljuco said, “There are no thoughts, I am totally in the moment. The moment [you have] thoughts you are cheating the audience.”

Growing up in Southern Calif. and encouraged by her siblings, ceramics professor Melody Cooper took an interest in Native American art and culture since she was very young.

“I liked everything they did. I liked their jewelry, I liked their ceramics, I liked their relationship to the earth and their sort of guardianship of the earth,” Cooper said.

Cooper’s older siblings also had an interest in Native American pottery and helped fuel her desire to learn more and experiment.

Her older brother read in an article that the Hopi Native Americans used to fire their clay in the sun.

“‘Lets get some clay and make some things and fire it,’ he [Cooper’s brother] said. We got clay from an Aaron Brothers-type craft store,” Cooper said. “He didn’t read how to do it he just read that they do it that way.”

Cooper and her brother made some art pieces and placed them in the sun.

“Everything blew up though because we didn’t know what we were doing, but that got my interest in ceramics,” Cooper said.

Later in life Cooper was able to try making pottery like a Native American when she studied in New Mexico with the Acoma tribe.

This time Cooper did not have to buy clay at a store and fire it in the driveway.

“We dug the clay out of cliffs, and you leave an offering for mother earth,” Cooper said.

Cooper also studied with Lucy Lewis, a Native American potter who had been making ceramics since the early 1900s and passed away 20-years ago.

“Because she [Lewis] had the lineage of being related to the Anasazi Indians we could go on protected land and dig,” Cooper said. “Not just anyone can go out on the reservation and dig the clay.”

Cooper received her master’s degree in Fine Arts from California State University Northridge, where she discovered her love of teaching.

As a professor’s aid Cooper was asked to teach a class by her mentor.

“I thought yuck. I don’t really want to teach, but then I tried it and everyone said ‘oh you’re so good’ and I really loved doing it,” said Cooper.

Cooper said she had never thought teaching was what she would be doing for her career but said that now she can’t imagine doing anything else.

“I love my job,” Cooper said. “There’s that whole joy of when students make things and they’re so excited and it turns out great.”

Cooper’s enthusiasm for her job and the teaching shows through her students’ comments.

“I’ve taken ceramics with Ms. Cooper as many times as they’ll let me,” student Jessica Gelbke said. Her class said she is always willing to help.

“She’s an extremely good leader, knowledgeable and patient,” said agricultural studies major Vici Wittelsbach. “She’s got the goods.”

Accounting major Nikki Madjdi said professor Cooper takes the time to help the class with projects no matter how busy things are.

“It’s art. It’s relaxing and fun,” Madjdi said. “I’ll be taking another class with her.”

Cooper will be taking a sabbatical next year and will return in the Fall of 2013.

She said she will be taking some classes and will be traveling to New Mexico and France.