Participating in a performing arts group or ensemble: Spelman Chamber Player (5-7 points)

    This semester I was a part of Spelman Chamber Players and performed Concertino da Camera by Antonio Salieri. Our performance was on November 16th at 3 pm and I performed as the flutist of the ensemble. Being a part of Spelman Chamber Players has been an outlet for my creativity for my time here at Spelman. The piece we played relied heavily on the flute part, so I spent hours refining my technique to ensure I could play it perfectly. Practicing the flute in general requires that I develop skills at a faster rate than other activities. It requires dedication to take time out of my schedule to focus on the flute. It requires patience to work through really challenging passages. It also requires resilience to return to practice after having a particularly bad session. Playing the flute for over seven years at this point has greatly shaped my character. These skills that I have gained will be very beneficial in my future as a doctor.

    In particular, I was grateful for the music Dr. Chung chose for us to play as it gave me the chance to play music from Mozart’s “rival,” Salieri. His music was the perfect mix of technical and melodic and it was composed of four movements. My favorite was the third movement because although it was short, the repeats allowed for the performers to instill their musicality in a different way each time. Working in an ensemble of this size was something unusual for me. Typically, when performing I would perform with either an ensemble of twenty people or greater, or just a solo. Performing in a group of five produced different types of struggles such as the transparency and balance between instruments. While I often had the melody, I had to learn when to pull back and listen to the other instruments. Such a small ensemble also created intimate connections among the players. After going through all those rehearsals with each other, I gained friendly connections that I could call upon at any time. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience this semester and will come back next semester.

- Taylar Wharton