Express The Music: 22/23 Writing & Drawing Award Winners Booklet

22/23 Writing & Drawing Award Winners

Express the Music Contest

Responding to Jess Gillam and

tenThing Brass Ensemble

AWARD WINNERS

FIRST PLACE

Sorange Rutabairo, 12th grade

Evita Vasquez Reyes, 12th grade

SECOND PLACE

Marie Jules, 10th grade

HONORABLE MENTION

Guadalupe Bueno, 12th grade

Olivia Keith-Henry, 12th grade

Saxophonist Jess Gillam

THE 2022-2023 Express the Music Contest

A contest designed to capture the impact of music, as perceived by Trenton students.

IN OCTOBER 2022, saxophonist Jess Gillam participated in a mini-residency with the Neighborhood Music Project, a collaboration between Princeton University Concerts (PUC) and Trenton Arts at Princeton (TAP). On October 25, she rehearsed and engaged with the Trenton Central High School (TCHS) Orchestra. The next day, the TCHS Orchestra attended her PUC debut in Richardson Auditorium. In December 2022, the TCHS Orchestra also attended tenThing Brass Ensemble’s PUC debut. TCHS students who attended either performance were invited to reflect on the experience in the Neighborhood Music Project’s fourth annual Express the Music Contest, open this year to creative writing and drawing entries.

The entries were judged by the following members of the PUC team: Marna Seltzer, Director; Dasha Koltunyuk, Marketing & Outreach Manager; and Tom Uhlein, Graphic Designer.

Inspired by conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s residency during PUC’s 125th anniversary season, the Neighborhood Music Project aims to reinforce Maestro Dudamel’s commitment to music as a force for uniting communities, empowering young people, and promoting positive social change. This multifaceted initiative expands access to the arts in the Trenton Public Schools via artist visits, field trips, this annual creative writing/drawing contest, and support for the Trenton Youth Orchestra.

tenThing Brass Ensemble

Jess Gillam with the TCHS Orchestra

FIRST PLACE

A Nourishing Moment • By Sorange Rutabairo, 12th grade

Inspired by Jess Gillam

THE 2022-2023 Express the Music Contest WINNERS

A mellow but warm energy surrounds you. You wait to be captured by the smooth and harmonious notes that will tell you a story you won’t soon forget. Long forgotten are the worries of the day, now, at this moment, there is only you and the sound.

Can you sense it?

Every key pressed, every note tongued out, now embedded in your memory like a souvenir. Each arrangement following you, haunting you, deserving notice and admiration.

Can you hear it?

When weeks pass and you think of this moment, You’ll still remember what piece touched you. You may not remember the name, but that feeling that filled that hollow void within you can only be described as comfort.

Like a new coat wrapping around you tightly as the first fall of snow begins. Like food from your home country nourishing you after a long day. We all go through periods of time that seem insignificant, but there’s always a moment that follows that leaves you beautifully impacted. Can you see it?

FIRST PLACE

Musicians Paint • By Evita Vasquez Reyes, 12th grade

Inspired by Jess Gillam

Leaves flutter as the wind brushes through the branches of the trees. The sky is bright, full of white clouds, but they don’t take away from its cheerfulness. The birds chirp in unison with the notes. The music that leaves her instrument has a life of its own. Her passion seeps through the saxophone. The moment she puts her lips on the mouthpiece, she says, “Welcome to my little world.”

When one thinks of an artist, the first thing that often comes to mind is a painter. When we dig deeper, we learn that there are various types of artists, and yet they are all quite similar in one aspect. Musical artists—like painters, writers, filmmakers, and dancers—create an experience for their audience. They aspire to fill people with deep emotion. Jess Gillam is no exception.

During her performance, Gillam welcomed her audience to her world. From the moment she began to play, I could see the love and passion she played with. That saxophone was one with her and no one could come in between. The image she illustrated to me brought me immense comfort. The audience members that may have slept during her performance didn’t do so because

they were bored or tired, but rather because they must have felt deep solace in the painting that Gillam created for them, and they let their guard down.

Music is such a magical thing. Yet it is quite tricky to deliver in the way you want to. The only way for the audience to feel passion and emotion from the music is for the musician to play with both of those things. Gillam is one of the few musicians who genuinely make me feel something strong and clear when she plays. She is the type of musician who makes younger musicians remember why they started playing in the first place.

As younger musicians, we envy the passionate connection that experienced musicians have with their music. As I watched and listened to Gillam, I wished to reach her level of intimacy with her instrument and sound. To feel the rush of adrenaline and feel the passion she did when she played is what I aspire to feel myself one day. In a time of burnout as a senior, she reminded me why love playing music so much. Jess Gillam made me feel such a unique and special way through her music that it is indescribable with words—only through music.

Musicians Paint by Evita Vasquez Reyes

SECOND PLACE HONORABLE MENTION

Listening Further • By Marie Jules, 10th grade

Inspired by Jess Gillam

I find myself listening further, further into music. I was surprised to hear Jess Gillam’s control of the various tunes that emanated from her saxophone. I didn’t know that such an instrument could generate those sounds. She played effortlessly, and the tunes were among the most exquisite euphonies I have ever heard. I caught myself in a daze, my imagination running free with the scenarios that went along with the music, and I suddenly found myself in a stupor. It seemed as though I could experience the feelings evoked by the musical pieces— sadness, happiness, loneliness, and hope, to name a few. The tension that I felt caused me to sit on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what note would be played next. It was truly a beautiful performance. As left the space, a new sense of curiosity overtook me. wanted to listen further, to lovely tones that would transport me elsewhere. I never expected music to have such an impact on me, but it did. I listened to the playlist made by Jess Gillam, and it felt as though a whole new world had opened up. As I listened to Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble perform Cristóbal de Morales’ “Parce mihi Domine,” I closed my eyes and visualized myself floating up in space. I envisioned myself in a lush, green garden, surrounded by butterflies and other lovely creatures, when listened to the Attacca Quartet perform Caroline Shaw’s Plan & Elevation. I tuned in to Jess Gillam’s performance of Pedro Iturralde’s “Pequeña Czarda” and was in awe as I listened to the various notes that were played. I never thought would voluntarily listen to these kinds of compositions. But after attending Jess Gillam’s concert, it was as if the event had left me craving more of that genre. I caught myself taking a deeper dive into the world of jazzy and classical tones in greater detail. Music is an eye-opener because I never knew how much I’d like symphonic pieces until Jess Gillam’s concert, and now find myself not only admiring the sound of art but also delving further into music.

Down the Hedge • By Guadalupe Bueno, 12th grade

Inspired by tenThing Brass Ensemble

HONORABLE MENTION

Je ne t’aime pas • By

Inspired by Jess Gillam

Olivia

Keith-Henry, 12th grade

Have you gone mad

You say you love me

Tu n’es pas mon amoureux

Mais à tes yeux je suis à toi

But my dear friend

Do you not get the hint

For I will tell you again

I do not love you

Again and again

When will this ever end

You say you need me

But this is not what you need

L’amour ne dure pas

Ceci n’est pas de l’amour

You lie to my face

To say that this is love

Have you gone mad

You say you love me

This is not love, you truly can’t see

You are just lonely

Je suis désolé de te dire cela

Et de l’avoir dit si durement

But I have told you

You do not need me

Now let this end please

Have you gone mad

You say you love me

Mais tu confonds la solitude

Avec la passion de l’amour

Why don’t you understand

That this cannot be

It is because

Je ne t’aime pas

You cry and you cry

It’s the same every time

That confession of love

Is too much for me

This is way too much

Peux-tu me laisser seul

C’est votre dernier avertissement

Are you insane

Or have you gone mad do not love you do not want you

Can you leave me be told you this gently

But you wouldn’t leave me am fine on my own

Aimez quelqu’un d’autre

And leave me alone

You do not need me

So please let me go

Go find someone new

Who loves you too

Original lyrics set to Jess Gillam’s rendition of “Je ne t’aime pas” by Kurt Weill

Je ne t'aime pas by Olivia Keith-Henry

WINNER

PLACE PLACE PLACE 1 1 2 ST ST ND

Sorange Rutabairo

Sorange Rutabairo is a senior in the Health Professions small learning community at Trenton Central High School. “Music will always be a lifeline for me,” she says. “I use it as an escape and a sanctuary.” She also enjoys reading and listening to poetry, so writing came to her as the obvious next step. As an alto sax player herself, Sorange had already been a fan of Gillam when she entered this contest, so she took this opportunity to express her appreciation for Gillam's work. “While writing, it was like I was being brought back to that space listening to her music, and it was almost just as entrancing,” she says. Sorange also enjoys photography and crosswords.

Evita Vasquez Reyes

Evita Vasquez Reyes is a senior in the STEM small learning community at Trenton Central High School. She frequently dabbles in multiple art forms for self-expression: “Drawing, writing, reading, playing instruments, and poetry have all been things that at some point allowed my monotonous life to feel ‘alive’ and like I wasn’t simply just surviving but I was living!”

Evita used to be afraid of writing in English. Since Spanish was her primary language most of her life, writing in English felt foreign and forced. However, she faced her fear during the pandemic through journaling and discovered a new passion. When she learned about the contest, she knew she had to enter. “Jess Gillam’s entire performance was like watching a set of short films,” she says. “They each had a story and a ‘painting’ that they delivered in their own special way.” Evita is driven by a desire to make a positive impact in her community and to bring joy and compassion to those around her. In her free time, she enjoys baking and trying new recipes with her friends and family.

Marie Jules

Marie Jules is a sophomore in the Visual and Performing Arts small learning community at Trenton Central High School. Immersed in different art forms, she listens to music and draws daily. She also dances and enjoys playing the flute. She wasn’t originally planning to enter the contest, but after attending Gillam’s Princeton University Concerts performance, she was inspired to write.

“While writing, I was listening to a playlist curated by Ms. Gillam,” she says. “That whole collection of music was a vibe and made me check out other genres of music I previously didn’t listen to.”

Marie is passionate about storytelling and the potential to be very emotive through the arts: “I have many stories and ideas I want to make real, so I always strive to better my craft so I can achieve that goal.”

HM HM

Guadalupe Bueno

Guadalupe Bueno is a senior in the STEM small learning community at Trenton Central High School. They have been playing percussion since fourth grade and glockenspiel and marimba since sixth grade. They have also been drawing and singing since they were little. Their art piece was inspired by tenThing Brass Ensemble: “I was really moved by the tenThing performance, so much so that was seeing the place in my drawing as they were playing.” Guadalupe wanted to push themself outside of their comfort zone by experimenting with landscapes. “I’m not used to backgrounds, so trying to have the composition look mystical instead of messy took a lot of time and micro-adjusting,” they say. Guadalupe has dreams of one day becoming a professional illustrator and animator.

Olivia Keith-Henry

Olivia Keith-Henry is a senior in the Visual and Performing Arts small learning community at Trenton Central High School. She plays both violin and piano. “I love the sounds of music in all ways: dancing, singing, and performing,” she says. She enjoys writing stories and drawing images that match music, as a way to process and connect with what she’s listening to in a more personal manner. Her entry was inspired by Gillam’s rendition of Kurt Weill’s “Je ne t’aime pas.” She created original lyrics for the song and painted a scene to go along with the story she was trying to convey. “It was one of my first times painting. usually draw, so it was nice to change my style once in a while," she says. In her free time, Olivia is often found listening to her favorite bands or looking for her next favorite song.

Jess Gillam with the TCHS Orchestra

2022-2023 Express the Music Contest SPONSORS

Building on a tradition that goes back more than a century, Princeton University Concerts (PUC) celebrates the transformative power of music, one of civilization’s highest achievements. As part of one of the world’s foremost centers of learning, PUC embraces Princeton’s mission to connect all students to the Arts, while providing a public gateway to audiences from all over the region to experience the Arts at Princeton. Through innovative programs presented in an intimate setting, PUC challenges conventions, overcomes stereotypes, removes barriers, and creates artistic liaisons, affirming its commitment to make classical music accessible to all.

Trenton Arts at Princeton (TAP) is a collaboration between the Department of Music, Lewis Center for the Arts, and Pace Center for Civic Engagement. Our mission is to build a multidisciplinary community of artists across Trenton and Princeton University through student leadership and volunteer opportunities, youth programming, community performances, and more.