This past Monday Nov. 16, the Leffler Chapel stage was once again graced by a captivating performance. Dr. Justin Badgerow and Dr. Anne Gross, associate professors of music, performed both joint and separate performances as a part of the Music Department’s annual Monday Concert Series.
Gross opened with her vocal performance titled “Then and Now: Songs for 2020.”. She was accompanied by Badgerow on piano. Badgerow’s performance, titled “Sonicurology: Philip Glass’ Piano Etudes and the COVID-19 Pandemic,” closed out the night of music.
Both performances sought to explore the overarching themes that have defined the pandemic thus far. While Badgerow’s narrative examined dramatic and abstract themes like “death” and “uncertainty,” Gross’ performance took on a much lighter tone. Making light of some of the simpler problems of the pandemic – like the boredom many faced while under stay-at-home orders – she turned to comedic interpretations of popular Broadway songs to fashion her narrative. For instance, she used the song “Cheek to Cheek” by Irving Berlin to depict life before the pandemic, and a parody of the song “Alone” from the musical Young Frankenstein for life in isolation. The light-hearted nature of Gross’s performance was a breath of fresh air for audience members who have been saddled by pandemic-related troubles in recent months. Gross ended her performance on a positive note with the words: “One thing you can say about the human race is that we are strong, we are determined, and we can make it through anything we need to. I have faith in you.”
Badgerow’s performance was much more somber in nature. His etudes provided a timeline of the coronavirus, starting with “pre-virus” and ending with “resolution.” Each etude was hand-selected from Philip Glass’ collection of etudes published in 2014. Badgerow, who has been working on the collection since quarantine began in March, paired each selection with the theme he felt it embodied best. His performance was accompanied by a multimedia presentation of images taken during the coronavirus pandemic. His section titled “heroes” was especially poignant, as it paid tribute to the doctors, nurses, and medical staff who have served the United States. While every image carried its own weight, those that featured human connection – depicting families quarantined together and patients hugging doctors – had the strongest messages.
Of course, one could not help but note the effect of the coronavirus on the concert itself. In line with campus-wide COVID protocol, concertgoers were seated six feet apart and the first five rows of pews in the chapel were roped off to protect performers. Social distancing and mask-wearing served as physical reminders to the audience of the reality and relevance of the topic at hand.
These performances proved yet again that there exists a diverse and plentiful range of talent in the College’s Music Department. Whether they were laughing hard or struck by sorrow, concertgoers were decidedly captivated by each performance.
