I’ma Semi-Finalist in the Ima Hogg Competition: A Closer Look- Part 1

I’ma Semi-Finalist in the Ima Hogg Competition: A Closer Look- Part 1

Installment 7:

The Sound, er, Vision of Music
By: Lauren Moore, Houston Symphony Intern

Have you ever wondered what goes through a musician’s head when he performs, or even just sits down practice? Sure, some musicians are strictly business, carefully calculating the numerous technical details they’ve so diligently practiced over and over. Others simply let the music overtake them, as they have become one with their instruments and the music.

Then there are those who incorporate a third element, if you will- the ones who let their minds wander to create visual images. One may see a scenic view scrolling by while playing a Pastorale, or envision a dramatic scene being played out while performing a Fantasie. Even more, in the case of one of our Ima Hogg competitors, you may be mentally compiling a storyboard for a sort of classical music video. The pairing of images and music is by no means a fresh concept – but when you start thinking MTV meets KUHF, things could get interesting.

Clara Lyon, Violin
Clara Lyon, Violin
Meet Clara Lyon, 26 year-old violinist and graduate of The Julliard School and Stony Brook University, where she is currently working on her D.M.A. Born into a very musical family, Clara was destined to have an affinity for music and its overwhelming capability to impose its emotionality upon a listener. When asked, though, what she would do if (for some outlandish reason) she could not be a classical musician, she expressed her interest in electronic music, the combination of film and music, or (now here’s the kicker) making classical music videos.

Now, we’ve all come across those YouTube videos of a classical recording that has been set to a PowerPoint montage of stock photos of the composer, and scenes of pastels. But being that Clara’s musical tastes aside from classical repertoire consist of classic rock, electronic music, and even some rap (that has cleverly incorporated elements of classical music), one can’t help but think that her brain has spun in a completely different direction. This in turn made me reflect on how I personally envisioned music, either music that I am playing or that I am experiencing. I asked myself, how could I more creatively see the music. How would I show someone else exactly what I think the music is portraying? A classical music video may not have been what my mind conjured, but in this day and age, with so many fusions of music and technology, it doesn’t seem peculiar.

Before you let your mind wander a little too far and think I intend to produce a video in which P. Diddy or Justin Timberlake interpret a Mozart concerto or a Debussy prelude, let me get to the point of this. Music is created, create being the base word, shared with creativity. What better way to keep the interest alive in music than to create new ways to see it, and new ways to enjoy it? I encourage you to think outside the box, outside the practice room, and see the music. Let your mind wholesomely experience the entity of music, and let your mind be alive with the possibilities of music, and the visual pleasures it may bring. Who knows, Beethoven and Brahms may have enjoyed experimenting with wide shots, tracking, and soft lighting.

Stay tuned to learn who the final four will be this evening! We will announce the winners through Facebook and Twitter! And get your tickets for the Finals competition on Saturday June 2 HERE to find out who the winner will be!

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