By Melissa Arnold
Think about your favorite song. What about it lifts your spirit? Maybe it’s the lyrics that feel so relatable, or the catchy melody that gets stuck in your head for days. For many people, though, good music is all about rhythm — a driving beat that makes you bob your head and want to dance.
The Stony Brook University Orchestra is tuning up to celebrate the power of rhythm at their annual Family Orchestra Concert on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The hour-long performance is meant to expose listeners of all ages to classical music in a relaxed, lighthearted atmosphere.
The orchestra is comprised of more than 70 Stony Brook students from all backgrounds. Some are music majors or minors, while others are studying in STEM fields and race from the lab to rehearsals. Conductor Susan Deaver scours the university’s music collection each year to find pieces that work well together and create a unique theme.
“I tried to highlight a variety of different rhythms with this concert, not just from piece to piece but also varying rhythms within the pieces as well,” said Deaver of this year’s selections. “And as always, we’ll teach people about all the different sounds an orchestra can make — the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion — along with different dynamics and moods they can create. It’s going to be like a kaleidoscope.”
The concert’s lineup includes Alfred Reed’s “A Festival Prelude,” with sweeping and march-like elements; Jerry Brubaker’s “That Gershwin Rhythm,” a medley of hits from the famous American composer behind “I Got Rhythm”; and a rollicking section called “Hoe-Down” from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo,” among others.
This year’s featured soloist is 21-year-old music major Alicja Paruch, the 2024 winner of the Undergraduate Concerto Competition. The majority of previous winners played either the piano or violin, but Paruch is playing an instrument that you don’t often see in the spotlight — the marimba. Paruch will perform selections from Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto.
“I started by playing piano when I was young, and when I came [back to the United States] I looked for opportunities to continue but they were hard to come by,” said Paruch, who was born in the U.S. but primarily raised in Poland. “My high school teacher suggested I try the bells.”
The marimba is a percussion instrument in the bells family, and is played using mallets like a xylophone. The layout is similar to a piano, and Paruch made the transition comfortably. She was eventually skilled enough to play with many mallets simultaneously, holding several in each hand.
Paruch admitted she entered the concerto competition just for extra practice. The results shocked her.
“I was hoping to get some extra feedback and improve my playing. I didn’t think that I would win,” she laughed. “I was so surprised!”
A short composition by LeRoy Anderson, “The Typewriter,” will be another highlight. The fast-moving piece puts an actual typewriter in the spotlight, weaving the clacking of the keys and the “ding!” that precedes the carriage return with the orchestral sounds.
As Deaver was developing the concert list, she was delighted when freshman Maximo Flores approached her with some unexpected news: Flores collects typewriters. In fact, he owns five of them.
“I’m fascinated by antiques, and I love the idea of preserving parts of the past,” said Flores, a biology and music major whose main instrument is clarinet. “I got my first typewriter on Craigslist, and now I try to find them wherever I can.”
Deaver naturally asked Flores if he’d like to learn the typewriter solo for the piece.
“I’m an introvert, so this isn’t something I would usually seek out, but I’m a curious person and I love a challenge,” he said.
All told, the concert will be an exciting mix of selections that anyone can appreciate.
“When we say it’s a family concert, we truly mean the whole family can come and enjoy it, even the littlest ones. Some songs may be recognizable, and others will be a brand new experience,” Deaver explained. “Getting to hear an orchestra live and in person is also about getting to see the different instruments, learn how they work and the different sounds they can create. There’s a misconception that the orchestra is very serious, but the whole point is to enjoy the music. And maybe your feet won’t be able to stay still!”
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The SBU Family Orchestra Concert will be held on the Main Stage of Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 631-632-7330 or visit www.stonybrook.edu/music.
To participate in the contest, students are invited to submit an essay in person at their local Applebee’s, detailing why their teacher should be named Applebee’s “Teacher of the Year.” Elementary school students are asked to write a ½ page essay, while middle and high school students must submit a 500-word essay explaining why their teacher stands out.
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