By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Concerts in the Wood County Library Atrium can take patrons by surprise. They may be perusing the stacks for a novel to read, or hanging out in the Children’s Place when the strains of Bach or Beethoven come wafting through the stacks.
Pianists from Bowling Green State University will present another in a series of piano recitals in the atrium Tuesday, Nov 29, at 7 p.m.
The concert is presented by the piano department in the Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts and the library and features graduate students.
“It’s turned out to be a good collaboration,” said piano faculty member Thomas Rosenkranz, who is coordinating the concert. “It’s great for our students who get to play not just for their peers” but for people from the community in a situation “where people may be walking around.”
“It’s not like a concert situation. That’s good. Those kinds of experiences are great.”
“It’s like a promenade,” said Mikhail Johnson, a pianist who performed on an earlier library recital.
As someone who aspires to a career as a touring performer and composer, it’s necessary, he said, to play for variety of audiences and in a variety of venues. “People in different places react to music differently. It’s nice to experience that first hand.”
The people who show up at the library are different than those who would attend a recital at Bryan Recital Hall, he said.
And the atrium has a very different sound than other concert halls. “The acoustics in the atrium are very live,” Johnson said. “As a performer that informs the way you perform. You may want to take a fast piece slower because of how bouncy the sound is. That’s very informative … not every space is the same.”
Nor, Rosenkranz noted, is every piano. Pianists must learn to adjust to a variety of instruments.
Johnson said the atmosphere in these recitals is more relaxed than those on campus. The performers only play one piece, rather than the entire program. Afterward they get to socialize over cookies with audience members. “Many times you don’t get that direct feedback,” he said. “It’s a very nice experience.”
Johnson will not be performing on this recital, but he plans to attend. Music students support each other. “There’s a real sense of community” among the students and faculty at BGSU, he said.
Rosenkranz said the faculty give a number of students a chance to perform, especially those who may not have had as many opportunities in the past.
On the Tuesday program will be music by J.S. Bach, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Alexander Scriabin, Alberto Ginestera, and Sergei Prokofiev.
Performing will be: Phanuwat Sripramodya, Zhanxiang Zhang and Yongtong Tan, from the studio of Laura Melton; Siyan Tao and Xinran Wang, from the studio of Robert Satterlee; Varis Vatcharanukul and Zi-Ling Heah, from Rosenkranz’ studio; and Emily Morin, from the studio of Yu-Lien The.
The atrium has showcased BGSU musicians since the Steinway grand piano was placed there in 2006. The late Jim Brown organized performances of international students from BGSU, and Pro Musica has sponsored annual concerts. Student ensembles have also taken advantage of the space and piano to spotlight their talents.
