By Contributing Writer Nicole O’Connell
In the early afternoon of Thursday, November 7, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth hosted a concert showcasing the musical talents of performers Eunghee Cho and Jayoung Kim. The concert was sponsored by the Music Department on campus as part of the department’s Afternoon Concert Series.
The Afternoon Concert Series, “presents highly skilled musicians, who are energetic and passionate about sharing great chamber music,” says UMass Dartmouth music professor William Riley. “Also, many of the artists are at the outset of their careers, and so are able to relate well to our college-aged audience.”
The series is expected to continue in the spring semester, but concert dates have not yet been finalized.
At the most recent concert, students, faculty, and other UMass Dartmouth community members piled into CVPA 153 to enjoy the wonderful music created by Cho and Kim.
Cho played the cello during the concert. Cho is a greatly accomplished musician, and some of his awards include the second prize and the special award for Outstanding Chinese New Piece Performance at the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China. He has performed with a multitude of orchestras including the Sacramento Philharmonic, Cape Symphony, and Symphony by the Sea. Cho is currently a doctoral student at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Kim is also a greatly accomplished musician; she plays the piano. Kim won first prize at the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, Honam Arts National Conference, and Travel Grant Competition. She has also won national competitions in Korea. Kim received a doctoral diploma at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. She currently teaches at Dana Hall School of Music and is a staff pianist at the New England Conservatory of Music and Boston University. Additionally, Kim is also an artistic director of the Wellesley Chamber Players.
The respectful audience at Thursday’s performance was treated to a diverse selection of pieces. Cho described the music being performed as, “exploring little pieces of the world.”
Six pieces were performed in total with a break halfway through. The first piece was a German piece, 12 Variations on “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen” in F major, Op. 66, by Ludwig van Beethoven. The second piece was by Nadia Boulanger, a French composer. This piece was 3 Pieces for Cello and Piano: i. Moderato, ii. Sans vitesse et à laise, iii. Vite et nerveusement rhythmé. The third piece was Le Grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla, a composer from Argentina.
After the break, the first piece played was Cantonese Capriccio No. 2 by Damin Ren. This piece was commissioned for the 2016 Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition. Ren was a Chinese composer and took traditional Chinese folk music and reimagined it as jazz music. The fourth piece of the concert was composed by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, II. The last piece was a Polish composition: Introduction and Polonaise Brillante, Op. 3 by Frédéric Chopin.
While it seemed that some students attended the concert due to a class requirement, on the whole the audience was captivated by the musicians and the beautiful sounds they were creating. Cho and Kim’s passion towards the pieces they played and the devotion toward their craft could be clearly seen during their performance.
The performance was filmed by Dartmouth Community Media, so you have the chance to catch the concert on television if you missed the performance on campus.