University of North Florida Winter Symposium

[cassanova]

For the past 2 years the University of North Florida has been putting on a Winter Music Symposium. Its a 3 day event and I was invited to perform at it this year.

This was without a doubt the most intense and most professional event I have ever attended in all my years of playing music. 9 hour days learning techniques and rehearsing, then 2 hour long mandatory concerts of symphonic orchestra, jazz band, solo vocal perfromances, etc held in the evening. I did not attend as a bassist it was my vocal abilities that afforded me the opportunity to go.

When it comes to jazz, orchestra, and choir, stuff I couldn't tell you any names of who's who in those fields but I got to study this stuff under the people listed below.


I got to study some jazz vocals techniques (most skat) under Michelle Amato, had a master class with Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki, but the one person that made the most memorable impression on me was the conductor, Dr. Cara Tasher. She had a love for what she does like none I've ever seen before. She was funny, yet strict and made it a very fun learning environment. Her passion helped me rekindle lost passion that I have for musicl. I feel very privledged to have been given the opportunity to study under then perform under their tutilege as I learned more in the last 3 days than I have in the last 6 months.

On a side note, My vocal professor also had me prepare audition peaces for the University. I didn't have a choice in that, but long story short, I passed the audition for it and can study choral/voice there if I want. I'd rather study bass/jazz and told Dr. Tasher and the others, I'd like to eventually do progressive music so they told me I need to talk to a man named Dennis Marks and I think a Bunky Green. Both whom I believe are in the Jazz studies aspet. I was really surprised they didn't turn their nose up at the progressive metal/rock when I was explaining my music goals to them. I kinda had them all pegged as classical type snoobs, wrong again on my part.

The music might not be your cup of tea, I know most of it certainly isn't mine, I would highly recommend to those of you that have the opportunity to join choir groups or any type of performing arts groups to do so. This trip was invaluable as an overall musician and you will learn more than you can imagine.