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作曲家たちの会議
先週はニューイングランド音楽学校のサマースクールの様子をレポートしてくれた雅子さん。当初希望していた母校ウェルズリー大学の音楽キャンプへの参加を断られた末の参加でしたが、先ごろ、母校から「欠員が出たのでキャンプに参加してほしい」という電話が。雅子さんは忙しいスケジュールを承知で両方に参加しています。
Compsers' Conference
By MASAKO YAMADA
My Alexander Technique teacher is an avid amateur musician and she has
often told me about a certain chamber music program that she has
participated in every summer for many years. It is called Composers'
Conference because many contemporary composers discuss and perform their
works during the session.
Partly because the program is held at my alma mater, Wellesley College,
I've listened to her stories with great interest. Since I was not planning any
major vacation for the summer, I decided that this was the way I wanted to
give myself a summer break.
However, I sent in my application form a couple of days late, and by the
time it arrived at its destination, the program organizers had already
selected all of the pianists. My grand vacation plan was rejected even
before I had the chance to play anything for the judges. I therefore gave up
on going to this program and signed up for two sessions of chamber music
coaching at the New England Conservatory (NEC).
I've been very happy with the program at the conservatory, and I'm glad
that my misfortune put me in touch with some wonderful musicians. However,
after I'd paid my tuition to NEC, I received a phone call from one of the
organizers at the Wellesley program: They had a new piano opening!!
Judging from the encouraging tone of the organizer ("It would be
wonderful if you could even just do one or two sessions ... We have financial
aid, so you won't have to pay full price."), I guessed that they were,
in fact, desperate to find a replacement. Although I knew I'd have to
double book, I decided to join the program.
Unlike the NEC program, the Wellesley program is a sleepover camp. Most of
the participants stay in one of the Wellesley dorms. Not only are there
formal music lessons every day, the participants can also engage in their own
impromptu music gatherings. They can also swim in the lake, work out in the
gym, or read in the library. They are known to just hang out in the living
room to chat over beer and snacks as well.
When we had our orientation session I could tell right away that many of the
participants were regulars. People were milling from table to table during
dinner greeting their friends and recruiting them for their own music
practices. It seems that some of the newcomers are threatened by these old
cliques, but I think it speaks well of the program that so many of the
participants want to return. I have enjoyed conversations with people who
have been participants for 10 years or more.
Unfortunately, I knew that I really wouldn't be able to immerse myself in the
true spirit of the program. This is certainly not because the people were
unfriendly but because of my personal scheduling conflicts. Because I have
research obligations during the day and evening practices at NEC, I knew I
had to leave right after my morning rehearsal at Wellesley. I simply couldn't
stay around to chat or to practice fun pieces with the other participants.
This is part of the charm of the Wellesley program.
Of course, I could have simply taken a week off from work so I could
take my time at Wellesley before heading off to NEC in the evening — many
people in my research group take extended vacations during the summer so
this would have been accepted. I suppose part of the reason I chose not to do
this is because I've already committed myself to practicing enough music for
the summer.
The pieces that have been assigned to me are not trivial, and they
ordinarily would take months to study properly. I've never been an
eat-drink-and-sleep-music person, and I like treating it as a supplement
to a busy day. This week, I'm practicing at Wellesley in the morning, going to
school in the afternoon, practicing at NEC in the evening, and going back to
school at night. This is the kind of lifestyle I had in college, and it almost
feels like a vacation to me.
As with any vacation, however, I can't keep up with this pace forever and
I'm looking forward to resuming my regular schedule after a week.
My Alexander Technique teacher is an avid amateur musician and she has
often told me about a certain chamber music program that she has
participated in every summer for many years. It is called Composers'
Conference because many contemporary composers discuss and perform their
works during the session.
Partly because the program is held at my alma mater, Wellesley College,
I've listened to her stories with great interest. Since I was not planning any
major vacation for the summer, I decided that this was the way I wanted to
give myself a summer break.
However, I sent in my application form a couple of days late, and by the
time it arrived at its destination, the program organizers had already
selected all of the pianists. My grand vacation plan was rejected even
before I had the chance to play anything for the judges. I therefore gave up
on going to this program and signed up for two sessions of chamber music
coaching at the New England Conservatory (NEC).
I've been very happy with the program at the conservatory, and I'm glad
that my misfortune put me in touch with some wonderful musicians. However,
after I'd paid my tuition to NEC, I received a phone call from one of the
organizers at the Wellesley program: They had a new piano opening!!
Judging from the encouraging tone of the organizer ("It would be
wonderful if you could even just do one or two sessions ... We have financial
aid, so you won't have to pay full price."), I guessed that they were,
in fact, desperate to find a replacement. Although I knew I'd have to
double book, I decided to join the program.
Unlike the NEC program, the Wellesley program is a sleepover camp. Most of
the participants stay in one of the Wellesley dorms. Not only are there
formal music lessons every day, the participants can also engage in their own
impromptu music gatherings. They can also swim in the lake, work out in the
gym, or read in the library. They are known to just hang out in the living
room to chat over beer and snacks as well.
When we had our orientation session I could tell right away that many of the
participants were regulars. People were milling from table to table during
dinner greeting their friends and recruiting them for their own music
practices. It seems that some of the newcomers are threatened by these old
cliques, but I think it speaks well of the program that so many of the
participants want to return. I have enjoyed conversations with people who
have been participants for 10 years or more.
Unfortunately, I knew that I really wouldn't be able to immerse myself in the
true spirit of the program. This is certainly not because the people were
unfriendly but because of my personal scheduling conflicts. Because I have
research obligations during the day and evening practices at NEC, I knew I
had to leave right after my morning rehearsal at Wellesley. I simply couldn't
stay around to chat or to practice fun pieces with the other participants.
This is part of the charm of the Wellesley program.
Of course, I could have simply taken a week off from work so I could
take my time at Wellesley before heading off to NEC in the evening — many
people in my research group take extended vacations during the summer so
this would have been accepted. I suppose part of the reason I chose not to do
this is because I've already committed myself to practicing enough music for
the summer.
The pieces that have been assigned to me are not trivial, and they
ordinarily would take months to study properly. I've never been an
eat-drink-and-sleep-music person, and I like treating it as a supplement
to a busy day. This week, I'm practicing at Wellesley in the morning, going to
school in the afternoon, practicing at NEC in the evening, and going back to
school at night. This is the kind of lifestyle I had in college, and it almost
feels like a vacation to me.
As with any vacation, however, I can't keep up with this pace forever and
I'm looking forward to resuming my regular schedule after a week.
Shukan ST: Aug. 13, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
- Alexander Technique
- アレキサンダー法(オーストラリアの俳優 F. Matthias Alexander が開発した姿勢矯正健康法)
- avid
- 熱心な
- chamber music
- 室内楽
- has participated in 〜
- 〜 に参加してきた
- contemporary
- 現代の
- alma mater
- 母校
- major 〜
- 大きな 〜
- application form
- 応募用紙
- destination
- 宛先
- organizers
- 企画者
- was rejected
- 拒否された
- judges
- 判定者
- signed up for 〜
- 〜 に参加登録した
- New England Conservatory
- ニューイングランド音楽学校
- misfortune
- 不運
- put me in touch with 〜
- 〜 と知り合う機会を与えてくれた
- tuition
- 授業料
- opening
- 空き
- Judging from 〜
- 〜 から判断すると
- encouraging tone
- 熱心な口調
- financial aid
- 経済補助
- full price
- 正規の参加費
- (were)desparate to find a replacement
- 代わりを探すのに必死だった
- double book
- 重複して予約する
- sleepover
- 泊まりがけの
- participants
- 参加者
- dorms
- 宿舎
- impromptu
- 即興の
- work out
- 体を鍛える
- hang out
- ぶらぶらする
- chat
- おしゃべりをする
- regulars
- 常連の参加者
- were milling
- 動きまわっていた
- recruiting
- 参加を勧めている
- newcomers
- 初心者
- are threatened by 〜
- 〜 に気後れさせられた
- cliques
- 派閥
- it speaks well of the program that so many of the participants want to return
- 多くの参加者が繰り返し参加したいということは、プログラムの良さを示している
- immerse myself in the true spirit of 〜
- 〜 の盛り上がりについていく
- conflicts
- 衝突
- research obligations
- 研究に費やす時間
- pieces
- 曲
- charm
- 楽しみ
- (could have)taken a week off from work
- 研究のほうを一週間休むこともできた
- extended
- 長い
- (have)committed myself to 〜
- 〜 に打ち込んだ
- trivial
- 小品の
- eat-drink-and-sleep-music person
- 食べ、飲み、寝るときも音楽のことばかり考えている人
- supplement
- 追加
- resuming 〜
- 〜 を再開する