Conservatory students get immersive arts experience on spring break tour to New York City

Lawrence University took its celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Conservatory of Music to New York City over spring break.

Eleven students, accompanied by several faculty and staff, were part of the March 19-23 trip—seeing performances at iconic arts venues, taking part in individual lessons and masterclasses, and presenting a concert for Lawrence alumni and friends at Manhattan School of Music. The March 22 concert was followed by a reception, hosted by Manhattan School of Music President James Gandre ’81, a Lawrence alumnus and member of the Lawrence Board of Trustees.

The NYC tour offered multiple opportunities for the students to connect with New York area alumni, many of them working in music. 

Isaac Epley, a sophomore piano student from Liberty, Missouri, said there were important connections made at almost every stop. The meeting with Gandre allowed students to ask questions about graduate school and other post-Lawrence opportunities in music. And Epley and Benjamin Keating, a senior piano student from Urbana, Illinois, got a masterclass with Robert McDonald ’73, an accomplished pianist and faculty member at The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music.

“I found my time with Robert McDonald to be the highlight of the trip,” Epley said. “His experience teaching at the piano was fascinating and inspiring, and his connection to Lawrence made his teaching and personality all the more meaningful to me.”

Video: Andrew Mast, associate dean of the Conservatory, talks about the New York experience

Sarah Pedlar, a senior flute student from Decorah, Iowa, called the gathering with alumni hugely helpful. It included a conversation with an alum about her upcoming recital, a connection made through their shared appreciation for electroacoustic music.

“The classical music community isn't all that large as a whole, and the contemporary music community within is even more tightly connected,” Pedlar said. “Every opportunity I get to share my love for contemporary classical music and expand our community is amazing.”

Among the arts stops the students could choose from during the five-day tour: A recital presented by mezzo soprano Hannah Jones ’22, a performance by Billy Cobham’s Time Machine at the Blue Note Jazz Club, a viewing of the Broadway show Hadestown, Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème at The MET, the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra at Merkin Hall, and the Nnenna Freelon Trio at Dizzy’s.

There were lessons presented to the students on klezmer music at OPERA America, lessons in jazz and flute and a Women in Music Panel at Manhattan School of Music, violin lessons and a piano masterclass at The Juilliard School, and cello lessons at Kaufman Music Center. Following the La bohème performance at The MET, one of the trombonists met with the Lawrence contingent. 

“Students gained an opportunity to meet and interact with top musicians in their respective fields, participate in the New York cultural scene, and enjoy the support given by their peers and faculty on the trip,” said Andrew Mast, associate dean of the Conservatory. “For several students, it was their first trip to New York, and it proved to be a monumental success.”

The trip continues a Conservatory anniversary celebration that kicked off in the fall and is ongoing throughout the 2024-25 academic year. Numerous concerts, many that have included commissioned music from Conservatory alumni and featured performances from Lawrence students and faculty, have been held over the past seven months and will continue through the end of the year. 

Taking that celebration on the road to New York gave students another chance to flex their creative muscles, Epley said. The concert at Manhattan School of Music, featuring pieces ranging from Puccini's "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from the opera La rondine, performed by senior Mariah Schaumberg (soprano) and Keating (piano), to Reena Esmail’s Nadiya, performed by Pedlar (flute) and junior David Smith (cello), was exhilarating.

“Something particularly special about this concert was the freedom we were given in creating the program,” Epley said. “We were told to choose any music we wanted and were encouraged to work with one another and form small chamber groups, which led to a large diversity in programming. For example, I played a movement from a clarinet trio on the piano and then sang in a Palestrina motet. This freedom created a very eclectic program of music, which, I think, brought out our individual personalities and served as an outlet for our unique musical interests.”

In addition to the Puccini and Esmail pieces, the concert included:

• A compilation from Relaxin’ at Camarillo, Prism, Circles, Gloria’s Step, and Endangered Species, performed by senior Owen Finch (piano), junior Vivian Shanley (bass), and sophomore Tyler Donnelly (drums). Circles is a composition from Finch.
• Paul Schoenfield’s Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano, performed by junior Isabelle Olsen (clarinet), sophomore Ben Frueh (violin), and Epley (piano).
• Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 889, performed by Keating (piano).
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s Amor, quando fioria, performed by Schaumberg (soprano), senior Sam Dill (alto), Keating (tenor), and Epley (bass). 
• Steve Reich’s “Genesis XVIII” from The Cave, performed by Dill (alto), Keating (tenor), and Epley (piano).

The response from alumni in attendance was uplifting, said Smith, a junior from Radford, Virginia, double majoring in math and physics while immersing himself in the Conservatory. 

“It’s amazing to see how strong the Lawrence network is and how alumni are eager to support and connect with current students, which really speaks to the lasting impact of our school,” he said.