In a show of solidarity and support of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, a recent concert by the Frost School of Music’s Symphonic Winds and Wind Ensemble was dedicated to the Parkland, Florida community.
Held at the Gusman Hall the evening of February 21,the concert, entitled “Collaborations,” highlighted the way in which the UM community of musicians work together to bring art to life and featured many significant works, including the monumental masterpiece Music for Prague 1968 composed by Czech-born composer Karel Husa. The evening also included a consortium premiere of a Viola Concerto composed by UM alumnus James Syler, entitled Love Among the Ruins featuring Frost’s new Professor of Viola, Jodi Levitz, on viola. The piece contrasts and complements Husa’s work beautifully and is even more relevant today due to the powerful message behind it. Inspired by Robert Browning’s identically titled poem, Syler’s Love Among the Ruins, the piece is about love being a timeless force that triumphs over all, a befitting dedication to the Parkland community.
The band director and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSDHS) were invited to attend the ensemble concert. Five current Frost students who are MSDHS alumni performed.
Rebecca Tutunick, a Frost student majoring in classical flute performance and music therapy and MSDHS Class of 2014, said: “Stoneman Douglas is more than just a school – it is a community and a family that has a reach that stretches far beyond Parkland. To me, being #MSDStrong is a way to illustrate the many quotes that plaster the walls of Douglas. One of my favorites, that can be seen above our red entrance gates is, ’Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ This call to action holds true now more than ever, as I see Douglas students and alumni courageously fighting to prevent other communities from experiencing the loss that we did, my heart warmed when I learned the concert would serve as a tribute to our community. I couldn’t be prouder to have collaborated with my colleagues to create a powerful and emotive response to such a terrible tragedy.”
Robert Carnochan, Frost Wind Ensemble conductor, added: “As renowned American composer, Leonard Bernstein once said, ‘This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.’”
