New York quartet ETHEL records Chickasaw students original compositions
Top: ETHEL string quartet members, from left, Cornelius Dufallo on violin, Mary Rowell on violin, Dorothy Lawson on cello, and Ralph Farris on viola, record music by Chickasaw student composer Dylan Bennett, 17, a Norman North High School junior, during a recording session at Oklahoma City University. Bottom: Chickasaw student composer Dylan Bennett, 17, and producer Alan Bise work during a recording session. (Photos by Paul B. Southerland/The Oklahoman)
A version of this story appears in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Arts academy project puts youths’ compositions on CD
Face intent, Cruise Berry listens raptly as the music tumbling into his headphones from a neighboring recording studio becomes more frantic and foreboding.
His hands moving as if conducting, the Oklahoma City University freshman, 20, clearly knows every nuance and note of the experimental piece “Fantasia.”
After all, the music composition student wrote it while still at Lone Grove High School, as a project of the Chickasaw Nation’s Summer Arts Academy.
“It’s almost like stream of consciousness. … I like didn’t do revision after revision after revision trying to perfect this thing, (I was) just trying to capture a particular mood,” he said. “And now my piece has been recorded phenomenally by these professional Juilliard-trained musicians.”
The Chickasaw Nation recently commissioned New York City-based postclassical string quartet ETHEL to record 16 compositions written by 11 students from the tribe’s Summer Arts Academy in Ada. The recordings, made over three days last month at OCU, will be released on CD later this year on American Indian classical music label Thunderbird Records.
The students, ages 13 to 21, studied music composition at the arts academy in 2008 and ‘09, under the tutelage of Chickasaw composer-in-residence, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. He plans to make the CD the first of a series.
“It’s a life-changing experience because … two years ago, they wrote their first piece ever. So they began not even knowing they were composers to releasing an album of their works into the classical world,” This session marks a complete experience as a professional composer,” he said.
Not only did the students hear the quartet record their pieces, The youths co-produced their sessions with Thunderbird producer Alan Bise, giving ETHEL pointers on how to interpret their music.
“I believe in the power of these experiences,” Tate said. “These experiences of having to articulate music clearly and express themselves clearly, it transposes to everything in life.”
ETHEL is dedicated to playing contemporary music and has worked with young American Indian composers before. Violinist Cornelius Dufallo said the Chickasaw pupils “have done fantastic work, and it’s a joy to bring it to life.”
“It’s wonderful music, and it’s so fun to work with the composer right there to tell you exactly what they’re thinking because there’s only so much we can put on a page,” he said. “That dialogue between performer and composer is one of the most exciting things about being a musician.”
Bise first heard the works of Tate’s pupils a few years ago and decided they would make an intriguing project for the label and the students. Art students from the tribe’s summer academy are competing to design the cover.
“We’re doing this just like we do any commercial recording session,” he said. “The exciting thing is we get to include the composer. … They were amazingly confident and all very willing to speak their minds.”
Katie Barrick, 16, of Calera, has played the fiddle since childhood but never explored music composition until the arts academy. Now, she not only has co-produced the recording of her piece “The Devil’s Advocate,” she also is considering studying music in college.
“To have people of that quality play something that came out of my head is surreal. … I never would have thought that my summer camp for last year would result in something like that,” she said. “How many teenagers get to do stuff like this?”
Berry’s experience in the arts academy helped him earn a full scholarship to OCU and now has added another aspect to his music education.
“It’s just mindblowing,” he said. “It was really different. It wasn’t stressful, it was invigorating is what it was. It was just a really cool experience.”
- BAM
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Thank you, Brandy! Awesome write-up!!
We had the best time. This project was brilliantly conceived and perfectly produced. We are very proud to have participated!!