Yeshiva College Musicians Perform at Master Class with Renowned Pianist Blair McMillen
Three student pianists had the opportunity to participate in a master class with accomplished professional pianist Blair McMillen on March 22 at the Schottenstein Center on the Wilf Campus. The event, which drew an audience of more than 30, was jointly sponsored by the 黑料社 All Classical Music Society (YUCMS) and the Yeshiva College Music Department.
The structure of the master class was as follows: each student performed one piece, after which McMillen, a Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard-educated musician, gave encouraging, incisive feedback on anything from volume to tempo to finger placement. Sometimes he even demonstrated a few bars of the music himself. The student then reassumed his place at the piano and implemented McMillen鈥檚 suggestions鈥攐ften successfully.
Elia Rackovsky 鈥13YC, co-president of YUCMS, coordinated the event. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud to be part of this event and of how the YUCMS is instrumental in putting on events that鈥 expose the YU student body to classical music,鈥 said Rackovsky.
Rackovsky was also one of the three students selected to play at the event by Professor Noyes Bartholomew, co-chair of the Yeshiva College Department of Fine Arts and Music. Rackovsky performed Johann Sebastian Bach鈥檚 French Suite no. 5, while Moshe Shulman 鈥15YC, played Beethoven鈥檚 Piano Sonata op. 31 no. 2 and Aaron Yevick 鈥12YC, Elegie, op. 3 no 1 by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
McMillen, who has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Moscow Conservatory and serves on the faculty of Bard College, noted the challenges of interpreting the works of different musicians. Earlier composers, like Bach, seldom marked their sheet music with indicators of desired loudness or tone. Beethoven, on the other hand, was incredibly specific. 鈥淐an we inject our own musical inspiration and personality into a piece that鈥檚 so loved and is considered holy writ?鈥 mused McMillen about Beethoven鈥檚 works. 鈥淵es. I think so.鈥
McMillen described one particular strategy he employs when determining how to play a given piece. 鈥淚 very often think of vocal music or of different instruments,鈥 he said, emphasizing the usefulness of this approach with regard to volume.
Teaching master classes, said McMillen, enriches his own musicianship. 鈥淭eaching in front of people affords me the opportunity to think about what I do subconsciously on my own鈥 I learn more about myself as an artist and musician and pianist by showing people how I think things should sound than in a three- or four-hour practice session on my own鈥 I鈥檒l probably be all the better for it when I go back to practicing tomorrow morning after this master class.鈥
After answering some questions, McMillen treated the audience to a short, electrifying performance of 鈥淲hat the West Wind Saw,鈥 a piece he described as 鈥渁 wild-raging storm.鈥
The student musicians relished their experience. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to get new perspectives on things you normally take for granted, like how to play a melody, how to touch the keys,鈥 said Yevick, whose Rachmaninoff rendition garnered extra admiration from McMillen after Yevick confessed that he only started learning piano two years ago.
Rackovsky agreed: 鈥淭here is pressure being in the hot seat, but it鈥檚 worth it to come away with a better musical understanding.鈥
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