BYU–Hawaii hosted the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra in a concert where six BYUH students performed with the orchestra on Nov. 27 in the McKay Auditorium,. Performers share how they overcame stage fright and how they delivered quality performances.
Since Spring Semester 2019, the chosen students said they practiced and prepared so they would be chosen for the concert. Through hours of hard work and dedication, the students shared they were able to master their chosen piece of music. These students included Rachel Dunbar, Sarah Knight, Momoe Sakurai, Mouria Ngati Au, Calista Ngati Au and Hansol (Kelly) Lee.
The concerto started with Mouria Ngati Au skillfully executing “Allegro” by Aleksandr Scriabin in F-sharp minor. Following shortly after was Calista Ngati Au, a soprano singing a German song titled “Dich, teure Halle” by Richard Wagner.
Then, appearing at the front of the stage surrounded by kettledrums, Sakurai performed “III: Maestoso: Allegro,” by Russell Peterson. As she beat the timpani, the room filled with only the sounds of the drums in her solo piece.
Sakurai shared, “I would say that was one of the best performances I have ever had. I don’t know how to explain it, but you can’t have so many good performances where you feel the music through your body, and the audience knows it.
“I just loved how … people commented the concerto was amazing and breathtaking. I was just so happy that I knew that was happening for myself.”
After a short intermission, the Concert Choir performed “Gloria” by Dominick Argento. Appearing together on stage, Knight and Dunbar appeared next, gracing the audience with a rendition of “Viens, Mallika … Sous le dôme épais” by Leo Delibes. Standing out in bright red, Knight sang the soprano part of the song while Dunbar, in a sparkling black dress, sang the mezzo part.
Knight expressed, “As soon as you step on stage, yeah, you’re nervous, but you’re ready to just go for it. It was such a big deal, and I was nervous before. But now that it’s done, I feel like I can breathe and focus.”
Finally, Lee played “Allegramente” by Maurice Ravel. Moving her fingers across the keyboard of the piano rapidly in center stage, Lee executed the song in perfect unison with the symphony accompanying her.
Lee said she was focused on her part of the song entirely and wasn’t distracted by the audience in front of her.
“Normally I get really nervous before performances … I’m just shaking so much before going on stage. I don’t know why, but… that day I wasn’t nervous too much. I could enjoy being on the stage and playing with the orchestra 100 percent.
“I can’t describe the exact feeling, but I was feeling completely one with the orchestra, and I was fully focused on the music when I performed.”
Blood, sweat and tears
Knight, Sakurai and Lee all shared they have been practicing their pieces of the concerto since Spring Semester, spending hours on end perfecting their art.
Lee said even with a hand injury during the months leading up to the concerto, she was able to practice diligently. “I usually practice … three hours every day, but for this concerto, I thought I should do more since this was hard. I practiced four to five hours every day.”
Similarly, Sakurai shared she had been practicing her timpani piece for upwards of six months. She said she was able to hone in on her timpani skills and grow more as a musician.
Knight also shared she went the “extra mile” and studied the opera in-depth when practicing her piece.
“I practiced at least two hours a day. That’s not just necessarily singing for two hours. It’s warming up, vocalizing and studying the rep. I would study the opera analysis, character analysis and maybe even watch the opera performance.”
With only two rehearsals in town with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Knight said she was glad to hear everyone’s pieces come together to complete the concerto.
“We were all separately rehearsing, and we had our first rehearsal with the orchestra the Friday before the Evening of Concertos. We went to town with the orchestra, and it was cool to see it all come together.”
With the concerto done and behind her, Lee said she felt accomplished because of the effort she put into her piece.
“I waited to play in this concert for at least two or three years, and now I have achieved this goal and feel so happy … I want to thank everyone who participated and dedicated their hours, so many hours, practicing for this. And I especially want to thank my teacher, Stacy McCarrey, for helping me to be where I am now. I am kind of sad that it’s over, but I still have … big goals to come.”