Gainesville Orchestra performs concert Bulla Cubana at Santa Fe College

Over the past week, I had the absolute pleasure of performing as a substitute violinist with the Gainesville Orchestra at Santa Fe College. The Gainesville Orchestra is an incredible group of musicians directed by multi-talented Mr. Evans Haile. Haile has worked as the Producing Artistic Director of the Cape Playhouse Center for the Arts, hosted the NPR show “Talk of the Town,” produced many shows at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, and co-founded the New Amsterdam Theatre Company. In short, such big talent on such a small local stage!

The Gainesville Orchestra rehearses in the performing hall at
Santa Fe College on Thursday, February 23, 2017.

The concert’s theme was centered on a mix of Latin music with driving rhythms and insatiable pulses. It was rightfully titled Bulla Cubana. But from my perspective, the most admirable aspect of this concert wasn’t necessarily the music alone – although it was truly wonderful! – but how the music interacted with the performing guest artists and even the audience members. The music was playful and flirty and fit perfectly with the concert hall’s ambience.

RumbaTap dancer Max Pollack rehearses on stage with the
Gainesville Orchestra.

The stars of the evening were the internationally renowned RumbaTap dancer Max Pollack and local artist Eleanor Blair. During the concert, Blair capture the essence of Cuba by live-painting a scenic portrait of Havana. And, in the second half of the program, Pollack emerged to show the audience his innovative style of dance that blends elements of Afro-Cuban music and dance with American rhythmic tap and body music. The outcome: jaw-dropping artistry.

It is safe to assume that no one left that concert hall without a smile from ear-to-ear. Pollack’s dancing was exuberantly cheered, the orchestra’s music was highly praised, and Blair’s painting was sold for $3,000 to the highest bidder in the auction that ended the evening’s events. All I have left to say, is that I can only hope that I am invited to play with orchestra again; it always leaves me in such great spirits. 

University of Florida's school of music suffers from its building's subpar conditions

The School of Music at the University of Florida has battled for decades for improvements to their main building. The music building, or MUB, was constructed in the 1970s as a part of a design competition and was not originally intended to be used as a music building. Because of this, the building does not have proper sound insulation, climate control, or functional uses of space. The building has recently been under construction to fix minor structural issues, but the faculty and students in the music school are still calling for a complete renovation of the building to meet the modern standards for building construction and function.

The music building at the University of Florida is a site of much controversy and debate. Its poor conditions have caused faculty members and students to ask for a complete demolition of the building.

A post shared by @artsinsideandout on Feb 19, 2017 at 10:42pm PST

Since the summer of 2016, the MUB has been under construction. A new roof and partial ceiling enclosure has since been added to the building.

A post shared by @artsinsideandout on Feb 19, 2017 at 10:45pm PST

To abide by safety standards and coding rules, construction crews have installed guard rails on the staircases in the MUB. Faculty members have questioned the effective use of funds for building renovations.

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Music student David LaRussa makes use of one of the added "pod" practice rooms on the second floor of the MUB. Still, there are only 25 practice rooms available for use by the over 400 music students at UF.

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The center atrium area of the MUB has been paved over and made into an additional seating area. This renovation eliminated what was the garden area in the MUB before the ceiling was closed.

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Ariel String Quartet coaches University of Florida musicians in masterclass

Trio of UF students perform the Smetana Piano Trio in
G Minor, Op. 15.

Last week, the renowned Israeli Ariel String Quartet visited the University of Florida, performing at the Phillips Center on February 12^th then hosting a masterclass for UF student chamber musicians the following day. The Ariel String Quartet members, Alexander, Amit, Gershon and Jan, were students at the New England Conservatory of Music but are now resident faculty members at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

The first chamber ensemble, whose performance I will feature in this review, performed the Smetana Piano Trio in G Minor Op. 15 for the Ariel Quartet, which is a piece that the composer wrote after the death of his child. Fittingly, the trio conveys a harsh yet reflective sense of mourning and grief. Structurally, the work exudes this sense of tragedy through its dynamic extremes and descending chromatic lines.

The UF performing chamber ensemble played the Smetana trio with a vibrant and driving exuberance. The Ariel String Quartet seemed to have agreed for they raved about the trio’s emotional delivery of the music. However, no performance is perfect, so they did have a few critiques to give to the trio of UF students.

Ariel cellist Amit Even-Tov plays UF student's cello to
demonstrate a performance technique.

Ariel violinist Alexandra Kazovsky said to the trio, “Think of the emotional strength of the work, and make it freer.”

Cellist Jan Gruning added to this comment and told the performing violinist and cellist to, “Imitate the usage of breath in your right arm to give the line more direction.”

The trio then repeated certain sections of the work for the Ariel Quartet members and I couldn’t help but smile watching and listening to the immediate improvements in their playing.

“It’s like magic now,” Alexandra said. “It’s so nice, it gives the melody spontaneity.”

Music linked to health and happiness

Time and time again, I have heard the argument, "Music is good for your soul!" But what does that really mean? How can music actually improve a person's health or wellbeing?

I recently found an article that was published by CBS New York that explains the benefits music brings to elderly patients suffering from various cognitive illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The non-profit Music and Memory uses what they call the healing powers of music to bring the elderly patients back to happier times. According to this article, music was able to significantly improve the mood of the patients. What a simple, yet profound approach to elderly care.

Now, I have witnessed this theory work first-hand. My grandmother suffers from dementia, and her memory is more or less lucid depending on the day. But without any hesitation, she can recognize certain songs and artists from her youth. It only takes a few notes to jog her memory and past associations with the music. To her and many others, music acts as a stress reliever, a facilitator of emotion, and a medium for cognitive recollection.

As stated in the CBS article, one of Music and Memory's goals is to bring music into all 67,000 senior healthcare facilities in the country. This goal is both commendable and logical. Moreover, it is entirely achievable through activism and local engagement. Take initiative. It does not matter whether you or not you are a musician, you can still contribute the musical life in your own local senior homes. Bring speakers; sit with some of the seniors; talk about what music they like and want to listen to. The field of arts and culture is binding, and we must keep it alive.

"Were it not for music, we might in these days say, the Beautiful is dead." -Benjamin Disraeli

Jan van Rooyen

"The true beauty of music is that it connect people. It carries a message, and we, the musicians, are the messengers." -Roy Ayers

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting local violin maker Jan van Rooyen this past summer when I brought my violin into his shop, Gainesville Violins, for some much needed repairs and cleaning. Jan is the kindest man with incomparable patience and sincerity. I was able to get to know him a little more every time I came into his shop, and I soon discovered that there was so much more to him than most people knew. He so fortunately sat down with me one afternoon to answer what seemed like my million questions I had for him. I wanted to know how he started playing, where he learned to make violins, and what brought him to the states, since he spent the great majority of his life in South Africa. I am simply humbled that he let me capture a little fragment of his life's story. Please listen for yourself.

Hi everyone! My name is Amanda Grohowski and I am junior at the University of Florida double-majoring in Telecommunication News and Music Performance. To give you a little bit of background info on me, I have been playing the violin since I was five years old, and I am absolutely drawn to the stage. I love performing so much that I found another way to do it… through reporting and public speaking! I currently work as an associate producer at the Gainesville’s local ABC affiliate station WCJB TV-20 and as a multimedia journalist for WUFT News and its affiliate NPR station WUFT-FM 89.1. I am also a very strong travel and fitness advocate, so hopefully my future career will be able to satisfy all of my passions and wanderlust.

In saying that, this blog will hopefully become my gateway to merge my two main passions of music and storytelling in the field of arts media. Since I am still working to finish my undergraduate degree at UF, I have made Gainesville my temporary home! I have tried to get involved in the arts and culture community in Gainesville as much as possible, and I have done everything from reporting on the local arts scene to performing in the local arts scene. I have developed a keen appreciation for arts and culture because I have first handedly experienced how much effort it takes be successful in that industry. So, I want to share some of that with you!

I will be posting on this blog about Gainesville’s local arts and culture scene, from the inside and out. I will tell you what it takes to put together a musical performance, describe upcoming events, and critique performances in the Gainesville area! I am very much looking to share with you this little splice of Gainesville.

And if you’re interested in learning about more about me or my work, feel free to check out my website at any time! I will do my best to keep it update with my latest writings and performances.