Last Tuesday night was one of the Bi-Co Music Department’s Chamber Music Concerts. A couple of my friends were performing, so I attended in support. I also enjoy chamber music, having been a clarinetist active in bands, orchestra, and chamber music prior to college.I find chamber music more fun to play because it takes strong group communication to play a piece well. There’s no conductor. The players must agree on a tempo and cues for certain sections or changes in tempo or mood. This means you get to know your chamber group really well in the process. Chamber music also allows each player’s unique sound and style to show. It is very different from orchestra where the object is for players in each section to blend together as one. My favorite arrangements to play in back in the day when I played clarinet frequently involved a mix of both woodwinds and strings.

This concert’s program was a nice mix of duets, trios, and solos. There was a flute duet, an oboe duet, a clarinet, cello, piano trio, a cello solo, a flute solo, and a piano solo. Most pieces were classical music, but there were also two contemporary pieces. Contemporary pieces sometimes confuse me because they sound so different.The concert was recorded as well as video taped.

Watching the concert made me miss playing clarinet a little. It wasn’t easy to give that part of me up. But I just couldn’t commit to the hours of practice needed to maintain my skills and improve. I’ve found my alternative artistic outlet in dance, but I will never forget the clarinet. Once a musician, always an artist. I can still tell when someone is off tune, off beat, or makes a mistake. I also can enjoy the music that others play. Attending concerts in the Bi-Co is always a nice study break from finals or schoolwork.

Sophia Kim’19 and Danielle Xie’19 play a Telemann flute duet