Austin Young Composer Concert Video Transcript
[BACKGROUND CHAMBER ENSEMBLE MUSIC]
(DESCRIPTION)
Shot of the Austin skyline. Then switches to an interview with Graham Reynolds.
(Graham Reynolds) Our roots at Golden Hornet are split between classical and rock. We try to form a bridge between the two and learn from both.
(DESCRIPTION)
Another shot of the Austin skyline.
(DESCRIPTION)
Switches to an interview with Kate Murray.
(Kate Murray) It's done so in kind of uniquely Austin character - infusing that rock band collaborative style in with the sophistication and complexity of classical music.
(DESCRIPTION)
Shots of The North Door in Austin, the performance venue for the Young Composers Concert. Then switches back to Graham Reynolds.
(Graham Reynolds) Every year we put out a call to band directors and schools, and we ask if there are any students that they think would be interested in composing a piece and producing a concert with us, and they've been from 9 years old to 18 years old, and they participate in every aspect of the production.
(DESCRIPTION)
Switches to clips of a chamber ensemble playing.
[BACKGROUND CHAMBER MUSIC CONTINUES, TITLE: THE LADY & THE ROSE BY KATELYN RODRIGUES]
(DESCRIPTION)
More shots of The North Door venue.
(Katelyn Rodrigues, Student Composer) So when I first started Golden Hornet, I was very enthusiastic, but I was also a little bit nervous and a little bit scared because I felt like I didn't have as much experience as some of the other kids that were there. But they were all very enthusiastic about helping me out.
(DESCRIPTION)
Shots from a meeting with the Young Composers Concert participants in Graham Reynolds’ music studio.
(Male Student) Like that line is going through the whole piece, [SINGING], it felt like it was on the downbeat.
(Female Student) It should sound like it's on the upbeat if you put it on the beat.
[PLAYING THE DRUM KIT]
(DESCRIPTION)
Switches back to the interview with Graham Reynolds with shots from the previously used Young Composer Concert meeting.
(Graham Reynolds) The whole idea with this is to work together and to learn to work together as a team, and you see it in the students being encouraging to each other and listening to each other's pieces - commenting, giving feedback but always in this positive way working towards something together. Each meeting is split into art talk and production talk.
(Female Student) Yeah I just need the headshot and the bios, 100 words, and I had a question actually about third person/first person.
(DESCRIPTION)
Switches to video from ensemble rehearsals.
[ENSEMBLE PLAYING NEW MUSIC]
(Graham Reynolds) They produce, put together, help envision this whole concert on top of writing music.
[ENSEMBLE CONTINUES TO PLAY]
(DESCRIPTION)
Shot centers on a young student composer named Fiona as she is listening to her piece being rehearsed. It switches between this and an interview with her.
(Fiona Gehrke) It was truly amazing because I've never really been around other young composers who love composing like I do.
[ENSEMBLE MUSIC CONTINUES]
(Fiona) I remember when the ensemble first played my piece it was at a rehearsal and I was like "is this really my piece it sounds so much … amazing."
[CLAPPING FROM PEOPLE IN THE STUDIO]
(Fiona speaking to the ensemble conductor) There's just one little thing. The tempo should be just a little bit faster.
[MUSIC SWITCHES TO PLAYING FROZEN BUBBLES BY AYDEN MACHAJEWSKI, A STUDENT COMPOSER]
(DESCRIPTION)
More shots of the ensemble and interview with Ayden.
(Ayden Machajewski) Working with an ensemble who's trying to play your piece is definitely a skill that you have to develop. You just have to be confident in your own assertions. Like people are gonna ask you "did you mean it like this" "do you did you really want it to sound like this" and you can't just be like "I don't know, maybe." You have to know what you want in that sense.
[MUSIC SWITCHES TO PLAYING FUSED GRID BY IAN SHAW, A STUDENT COMPOSER]
(DESCRIPTION)
Shots continue of the ensemble rehearsal and interview with Cassie Shankman.
(Cassie Shankman, Composition Mentor) They're getting this opportunity to like really learn about how it is to work with people, how it is to work in a really professional environment, and to really take a piece, write it, and produce the whole thing and like learn about the show.
(DESCRIPTION)
More shots during ensemble rehearsal.
(Male Student) The section where the drum ... you just have like bass … that part, that's supposed to be like a lot more intense.
(Cassie Shankman) That can be really tough to get your ideas you know to get them heard and played exactly like you're hearing them in your head you know and how do you do that and I think yeah each one of them did such an incredible job.
(DESCRIPTION)
Shot of the Austin skyline in the evening and pre-concert setup with text on screen that reads: “The free six month program culminates in a live performance in which the young composers debut their pieces to the public. Performed by a professional ensemble, the concert also includes on-stage interviews.”
[BACKGROUND ENSEMBLE WARM-UP SOUNDS]
(DESCRIPTION)
Shots of the pre-concert set up and concert performance.
[MUSIC SWITCHES TO PLAYING REDEMPTION GRID BY SEL HOXIE, A STUDENT COMPOSER]
(Sel) The atmosphere at the concert - it was very laid-back and casual and that's something that I really like about Golden Hornet. So even though I had nerves going into the concert, they weren't very prominent once it actually started. I wasn't entirely sure that my piece - like the ideas that I had behind it would actually work. But they did, and they worked really well. The way that the violinist played that really surprised me, and it was really validating for me I guess to know that the way that I wrote it really communicated the idea that I had behind it.
(DESCRIPTION)
During an on-stage interview of Sel after their piece was performed.
(Male Interviewer) This is something you were doing as a side project to a book that you're also writing?
(Sel) Right.
(Male Interviewer) Cool.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] (DESCRIPTION)
Switches back to interview with Sel.
(Sel) The process really impacted me to be more confident in the music that I'm writing.
(DESCRIPTION)
Switches to the ensemble’s performance of Fiona’s piece and interview with her.
[MUSIC SWITCHES TO PLAYING THE RAVEN’S SECRET BY FIONA, A STUDENT COMPOSER]
(Fiona) I was completely awestruck by the entire thing. I think the reality finally hit me when it was actually being played - my piece - with this wonderful professional ensemble. It was amazing. I thought like my mind was going to explode! I do like it when people are watching my piece, and they react. I do kind of like making people jump a little bit.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[MUSIC SWITCHES TO PLAYING AORAKI BY REESE NIEMIETZ, A STUDENT COMPOSER]
(DESCRIPTION)
Shots move between ensemble performance and interviews with Matt and Kate.
(Matt Armbruster, Members of Tetractys) We approached this project as if we approached, you know, working with a professional composer. Their pieces were very well thought-out. You know I came into this project not really knowing what to expect and was blown away by how high of a level like these pieces were. It was very - just you know - just even seeing them like their eyes light up and their kind of smiling as they're listening to their own piece.
(Kate) We want to provide this place for these young composers to develop to a point where they feel confident in everything that they're presenting and what they're creating. This is a particularly moving concept for that reason because you don't walk away thinking "oh it was great that I heard those kids' pieces" you walk away thinking "that was a fantastic concert, and I can't believe that it was written by a 9 year old or a 12 year old."
[MUSIC SWITCHES TO PLAYING THE FOG OF WAR BY MELODY RICHARD, A STUDENT COMPOSER]
(DESCRIPTION)
Shots switches between the ensemble performing and interview with Melody.
(Melody) At first, I didn't really know many people that also composed. I really only had one other point of view you know it's just my piano teacher and having other people that have different songs really helped, and it was also just nice just getting to know them like other composers around Austin. Like to know like I'm not the only one.
[MUSIC SWITCHES TO PLAYING THE TALKING BIRD & THE SINGING TREE BY HELEN LUNDY, A STUDENT COMPOSER]
(DESCRIPTION)
Continues the switching of shots between the ensemble performing and Graham Reynolds.
(Graham Reynolds) When I look back on how I became a composer, it's because I had opportunities given to me by generous adult musicians. This is me trying to provide opportunities for kids to do things that students don't usually get. We're trying to help them tie essentially this culture of Austin - we're in a city full of bands I think these young composers can see how that works and can experience that and get a feel for that culture. At the same time, they're composing in a way the bands don't usually do. This band town is now a place where all sorts of new music ensembles of work, but all of them are informed by the lessons of band culture and now they're part of both.
(DESCRIPTION)
Shot of audience standing up and applauding after the conclusion of the concert.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUSE]
(Graham Reynolds) We're Golden Hornet, and thank you so much for being here.
(WRITTEN ON SCREEN)
All the music used in the video was composed by the youth for purposes of this concert.
Composers: Ayden Machajewski Fiona Gehrke Helen Lundy Melody Richard Ian Shaw Sel Hoxie Katelyn Rodrigues Cassidy Peña Reese Niemietz
Musc Performed by: Tetractys Kenzie Slottow - Flute Nick Galuban - Clarinet Tim Shuster - Percussion Cristabel Lin - Violin Matt Armbruster - Cello Sasha Malikov - Piano Chris Prosser - Conductor James Burch - Producer
Golden Hornet:
Graham Reynolds - Artistic Director Kate Murray - Managing Director
Golden Hornet is managed by Lobel Arts Associates