For many students, the Humanities building basement is not a place in which one would prefer to spend a lot of time. But the students in the music program call the Humanities basement home. For others who pass through its dark halls, sounds of tooting horns and melodious voices echo through the building. So who are the inhabitants of this place'They are the university's music majors. From opera vocalists to nationally ranked tuba players, these dedicated souls give their spit, sweat and tears to the program-and like it.
Theresa Gigante, a senior majoring in piano performance, said students in the School of Music are not part of some elite club.
\Despite the hard work and crazy practice hours, we're normal college students who have just as much fun and party just as hard,"" she said.
The Daily Cardinal recently sat down with Richard Mumford, director of public relations and concert manager at the UW School of Music, to get his insight into this seemingly secret group and find out about the triumphs of the fall semester.
What is the general attitude of the music staff and students here at UW?
Although it has been quite a while since my student years, I can say that there's a high degree of enthusiasm and commitment to their studies among most music students at UW-Madison.??I think they realize they have nationally renowned teachers and are getting solid preparation for whatever they choose for a career.
What is a semester like for a music student? How many hours of clinic and practice typically go into a concert or performance?
This will vary according to the ensemble or the student, but it would be rare to find students who aren't practicing their own instruments, doing research for papers, rehearsing with their ensembles and practicing for their own or friends' recitals all week long. Students usually aim for more or less four hours of practice per day, not to mention rehearsals for recitals and class. If they aren't in a practice room, they are usually in class. It doesn't leave much time for homework or naps.
What was the most interesting concert this semester, in your opinion?
I can't possibly attend them all, but I do publicize many of them.??One that I didn't get to hear was particularly noteworthy-the Halloween night concert by the UW Chamber Orchestra.??The program featured one of our alumni, Demondrae Thurman, as euphonium soloist in a premiere of a new work.??That had lots of ingredients for excitement.??Demondrae is arguably one of the top three or four euphonium players in the country, yet he just got his master's here in 1998.
We presented the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, a professional ensemble, on Oct. 4.?? I was just bowled over by the program. The instrumentation for that concert was all winds-10 instruments in all, used in various combinations. And there was another Wisconsin connection-the director, Bob Reynolds, is the former director of bands here at UW-Madison.
Early in the fall, we participated in the campus-wide ""Arts Night Out"" with a program of four different ensembles-the Madrigal Singers, the World Percussion Ensemble, a cello-piano duo and the Concert Band.??If that's not representative of the variety of music studied and performed at the School, I don't know what is.??The chemistry of the evening was zesty-there were people in the audience who were newcomers, sampling sounds they may not have tried before.
Then there's the Faculty Concert Series, when we show off the virtuosity and creativity of our performing faculty.??There are 27 concerts this year in that series alone, and every one is free to UW-Madison students.??Most are held in Mills Hall in the Humanities Building.?? Over the course of a season, the Pro Arte Quartet, Wingra Woodwind Quintet and Wisconsin Brass Quintet all perform at least twice, and pianists, singers, string, woodwind and percussion soloists offer repertoire from the Renaissance to the 21st century.
What does the term ""band geek"" or ""music nerd"" do to you- make you cringe or make you laugh?
Actually, I don't remember encountering those terms before. I find it neither endearing nor derogatory. While there are some students at the School of Music who might qualify for such a designation, the ones I meet are quite well-rounded, have multiple interests, like to travel and have new experiences and seem to have no trouble having a good time with friends.
