This past Sunday, the Andover Music Department hosted the first Senior Soloist Concert of the year in Cochran Chapel, featuring violinists Ani Bayramyan ’24 and Karen Wang ’24 and double bassist Will Lucas ’24. As the runners up to the Senior Soloist competition offered by the Music Department each year, the three were given the opportunity to perform pieces of their choosing in this concert. Attendee Emma Greenhut ’27 mentioned how seeing older students play was both bittersweet and inspiring.
“I really loved this performance. As someone who participates in music myself, it was really inspiring to see my older peers and students at this school who are also in the music department program put on such a profound show… I think it was kind of melancholic because… this is probably one of the last performances for some of these Seniors at [Andover], but overall, there was also an aspect of excitement. Anytime someone’s performing, there’s going to be that aspect of excitement, and I could definitely feel their energy on that stage in the Chapel,” said Greenhut.
For Bayramyan, it was also important for her to make one of her last concerts at Andover a showcase of her growth as a musician and a culmination of her work over the past few years. She noted that the support from her Andover family made the concert particularly meaningful.
“It was my last big solo, so it was really meaningful for me to step up as a Senior, and look at all the work I’ve done so far at Andover through music and everything else. It was a moment of recognition, and seeing all of the connections I have here, and it was a very heartwarming experience to see my friend and my teacher, as well as my house counselor and my mentor come to support me… It was such a great moment to see my work, and the support I receive at this school,” said Bayramyan.
Bayramyan also hoped to convey to the audience a sense of serenity, intentionally choosing a piece that was melodic and calming. Through her playing, she wanted to bring out the complexities and small details of the music, and give the audience space to unwind and release the stress from other aspects of their lives.
“I feel like our world is in a lot of chaos right now with all the global conflicts and there are so many issues that have been brought to attention by social media and everything, and I wanted to convey a calm and serene mood amongst all of this chaos. I feel like, sometimes, these days, it’s hard to take a moment to relax and get a break from all of the negative news and everything that is going on. I really just wanted the audience, and myself, to take a minute to enjoy the beauty of this piece and get some peace of mind,” said Bayramyan.
All of the performers were intentional with their repertoire and what they wanted to convey to the audience. Attendee Camille Davis ’27 noted that despite the range of different pieces, she found connections throughout the music, and appreciated the emotion that was put into each performance.
“Although the pieces have differentiations, at the end they all seemed to be weaving some type of story together… My favorite part was the closing, because although it was a closing, which means it usually tries to delineate a slowing, it seemed to still have a lively nature, even though it didn’t have a substantially high pace. Even though it was towards the end, it really ended on a strong note… I thought there was a lot of authenticity in the playing, and that was something that stood out,” said Davis.
Bayramyan thanked her teacher, Michael Rosenbloom, Instructor in Music, for helping her perfect her playing, both technically and musically. In addition, she felt that he also allowed her a lot of room to express herself emotionally and interpret the music in a unique, personal way.
“A lot of the time I put more effort into the expression of the piece rather than the technicalities, and sometimes I kind of overlook those parts, but [Mr. Rosenbloom] has really helped me with those challenges and practicing through them… Sometimes, I feel like teachers want a student to perform a piece the way it’s written on the score, with all the markings and everything, but he has really given me the opportunity to play however I feel sounds right, and bring out the best parts of the piece,” said Bayramyan.
