Two Nights ago, (Monday December 12th, 2011), was the FIRST ever Schoolcraft College Synthesizer Ensemble Concert. I have it admit, it went A LOT better than I expected it to. We spent ALL DAY setting things up and rehearsing on the Sunday before. Rehearsal started at 3 and didn’t get out until 8:45. It was especially tough for me, because I am in both ensembles. When one was taking a break so the other could rehearse, I had to run over and play with them instead of taking a break. PLUS, I run the audio for Synth Ensemble 1, meaning I had to do most of the set up for the sound system.
Like I said at the start, the concert went really well, especially for what it was. On Monday I realized really quick that if we wouldn’t have spent all the time we did Sunday setting up, there is no way we would have been ready for the concert in time. I will say there were technical snags, but the audience didn’t even notice them for the most part.
One noticeable glitch that wasn’t really a big deal and got fixed, compared to what could have went wrong is phenomenal though. People don’t realize that, unlike a normal ensemble, EVERY sound you hear and every instrument we play is all wired and running through our mixer.
This concert was crazier than all our other concerts, because it was JUST US. No other ensembles like the Collage Concerts. So I was responsible for the sound for the entire show. No Pressure lol.
One thing that surprised me, was that I played well on all the songs we did. I’m getting better at keeping my cool on keys. I just try to have a good time. I learned from hip-hop shows I used to do that when people see you having fun, as long as you aren’t terrible, they will enjoy themselves and get more into it. If you look like you’re not into it at all and like you’d rather be somewhere else, they probably will feel the same.
I was hype that I nailed the Lady Gaga Bad Romance Fugue we did. That was by far the hardest thing the Synth Ensemble ever played. I spent a ton of time practicing and it paid off.
I play the bass voice by the way (3rd voice to come in).
We also did an original piece I composed!
I named it 5:17. Kinda like a “farewell” to Jackson. When asked about it, I said simply, “It means, It’s our time.”
I may be able to get the video of the night sometime later.. If so, I’ll post it. I’m happy to have been a part of the first ever.
P.S. Yesterday, Dr. Polot and I set the URL for the ensemble’s facebook page. Make sure you go and “Like” that. www.Facebook.com/SynthEnsemble
MarcusNorris - 