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Walking through the halls of the Academy building on Chain Bridge Road, you might hear a myriad of instrument combinations this week. Saxophone and guitar; flute, oboe, and piano; violin and viola; vocalists; and piano duos are a few collections of sounds one might hear wandering through the building. In this article, we’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look at our Teaching Artists’ preparation for the upcoming Academy Music Faculty Chamber Recital and what it takes to prepare for this kind of performance. 

Wandering over to Unit A6, you might hear a curious pairing of instruments, a soprano saxophone and a guitar. Teaching Artists Ariel Williams (saxophone) and Brian Slaymaker (guitar) are hard at work rehearsing a tango composed by Astor Piazzolla. The piece, Nightclub 1960, evokes the dimly lit music halls of the 1960s with an exciting combination of a tango and the popular bossa nova style of the time.  

At the moment, Ariel and Brian are rehearsing the many tempo changes in the piece, from the upbeat, thrilling tango sections to the smooth lyrical sections. In addition to tempo variety, another challenging aspect of the work is the difference in timbre, musical tone color, between the two instruments. These expert musicians will need to listen carefully to one another to blend their tones to create a harmonious ensemble sound. 

Let us visit another chamber ensemble! In Unit A3, Dr. Nayoon Choi (flute), Jiyoon Oh (oboe), and Yechan Lim (piano) are rehearsing Suite Bourgeoise by Malcolm Arnold. Written when the composer was just 18 years old, Suite showcases Arnold’s youthful wit and penchant for melodic and stylistic variety. Our faculty trio is preparing to perform three movements from the work: Tango, Ballade, and Valse. 

Rehearsing Suite Bourgeoise presents the challenge of balancing the sharp, rhythmic precision of the Tango and Valse with the fluid, lyrical expression required in the Ballade. To achieve a unified ensemble balance across flute, oboe, and piano, the trio utilizes meticulous pulse subdivision and dynamic adjustment during rehearsals. Working through Arnold’s vibrant blend of playfulness and nostalgia makes the collaborative process both demanding and immensely rewarding. 

Suddenly, exuberant, passionate chords ring out from Unit A2! Carol Feather Martin and Dr. Estrella Hong are rehearsing our exciting recital closer, the Overture movement of Nicolai Kapustin’s Sinfonietta, Op. 41. Kapustin composes in a style more at home in the jazz halls of America in the 1920s than the Russian concert halls of his compositional home in Moscow. Originally an orchestral piece, this four-hands arrangement of Sinfonietta for piano reflects the blending of these musical styles in Russian-inspired harmonic textures and melodic themes masterfully combined with a pseudo-improvisatory style. 

Sinfonietta’s mix of styles makes it great fun to perform, but also challenging to rehearse. The piece includes complex rhythmic patterns and syncopation, which gives it a jazzy feel. The performers need to find a tempo that is achievable to perform and enjoyable for the audience to listen to. Carol and Estrella worked hard to carefully rehearse their parts individually before beginning to rehearse together. This individual accountability makes their rehearsal time together more productive. They can spend time rehearsing the ensemble aspects of the piece, like hand crossings and group accents, and avoid wasting valuable rehearsal time. 

If frozen in time, these scenes form a tableaux series that represents the heart of the Teaching Artist title. In addition to being dedicated pedagogues and teachers, our faculty are also top artists and professionals in their fields. We hope you’ll join us this Sunday, November 1 at 3 p.m. as we celebrate our Teaching Artists’ creativity and spirit of collaboration.