For many student musicians, the opportunity to travel with an ensemble abroad and perform in new countries and venues is a memorable one. The Eastman BroadBand Ensemble held residencies at contemporary music festivals in Europe this past July: the SoundScape Festival in Maccagno, Italy and the Valencia International Performance Academy (VIPA) Festival in Valencia, Spain. I had the privilege of hearing about the experience from one of the ensemble members, Sammy Lesnick. Sammy is a senior clarinetist at Eastman from Seattle, Washington.
Could you tell me a little bit about the Eastman BroadBand Ensemble for those who have never heard the group perform?
Sammy: BroadBand is an ensemble headed by two of Eastman’s composition faculty, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. It is focused on new and recently composed music – sometimes conducted pieces with around ten musicians and sometimes smaller chamber pieces. The musicians are current Eastman students and recent alums.
Please briefly tell us about BroadBand’s summer travels…
We had residencies at two contemporary music festivals in Europe during the month of July – the SoundScape Festival in Maccagno, Italy and the VIPA Festival in Valencia, Spain. We performed in the newly renovated town hall in Maccagno (as well as a performance the next day in nearby Bologna). In Valencia, we performed in the center of town at a cultural center converted from an old convent (with parrots living in the walls!).
Convent in Valencia that BroadBand performed in. (photo: Sammy Lesnick)
What did this experience mean to you, specifically?
It was really great to play such exciting music by the Eastman faculty with amazing performers! It was also interesting getting to work with young composers from different cities, who were at various levels of development – these student pieces were of course all very different, and it was interesting to hear from them where their ideas came from. Playing this music in Europe was very cool, to get an experience of how different cultures respond to art – especially considering these are the cultures that classical music came from!
I have heard that some ensemble members had some teaching experience during your travels. Could you tell me about this?
Some of the ensemble members coached student pieces that were being performed by student musicians at SoundScape. Dieter Hennings, the guitarist in the ensemble, was a guest faculty member at the festival, and brought some of his own students.
Outside of your rehearsing and performing, how did you and your peers get to enjoy your time in Spain and Italy?
Maccagno is a small town, so there weren’t the typical European touristy things like big museums or cathedrals. But Maccagno is a great place to see some Italian nature. It is on the shore of Lago Maggiore at the start of the Italian Alps. So I was swimming every day at sunset and hiking as much as I could. There were lizards everywhere, and some wild boars, too! On our day off, we took a ferry across the lake to Cannobio, where there was a great outdoor market and a swimming hole that wound through the canyon of a giant rock with a church perched on top.
Maccagno from above. (Photo: Sammy Lesnick)
Valencia is on the Mediterranean coast, so no mountains but a great beach, and an amazing park that runs through the city in a strip. There were green parrots everywhere, and some very odd-shaped trees. The Valencia old town was a very interesting mix of old buildings and graffiti.
The food in both places was really good. Maccagno had pizza and pasta and gelato everywhere. Valencia had amazing tapas and paella, and a tourist trap Medieval-themed place that we couldn’t resist.
Does Eastman BroadBand have any exciting plans for the near future?
Yes – there are talks of a return trip to SoundScape next summer, as well as a show with a puppet theater and dancers in Mexico, in November 2016.
Any additional info or quotes you would like to add?
In Maccagno, there was an Italian family living in the apartment complex near us. They had a puppy named Leo who was probably the cutest dog I have ever seen. He would visit us every few days – and steal socks. Good thing I only wore sandals…
Also in Maccagno, I made spaghetti every day for lunch and somehow didn’t get tired of it.
“More boar.”
— John Fatuzzo