J.S. Kids. June 30, 2006

Location: Monmouth Chinese Christian Church, Middletown, NJ

Program
Johann Sebastian Bach
Invention no. 8 in G major, BWV 781; Invention no. 9 in g minor, BWV 782; Sinfonia no. 5 in E-flat major, BWV 791. Yi-heng Yang, piano.
Georg Philip Telemann
Trio Sonata in C major - Xantippe (Presto), Corinna (Allegretto), Clelia (Vivace). Jojo Cheng, flute; Mitchell Li, oboe; Margret Arnadottir, cello.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite no. 2 in d minor, BWV 1008 - Prelude; Allemande. Margret Arnadottir, cello.
Joseph Haydn
Trio in D major, Hob XV:7 - Allegro assai. David Wu, violin; Margret Arnadottir, cello, Yi-heng Yang, piano.

J.S.Kids - A play with music by Yi-heng Yang and Dongmyung Ahn.
Students and Orchestra of the MCCC Choral Camp, conducted by Dongmyung Ahn
Johann Sebastian Bach
English Suite in g minor, BWV 808 - Overture. Yi-heng Yang, piano.

Three professional musicians led 38 students and 7 additional instrumentalists in practice for a week (mornings) to put out the performance. Since I helped out with the practice, and played the percussion in the Britten piece, I am not going to comment on the concert itself. Suffice it to say it was an interesting week that required resourceful teachers. (What to do if someone needs to go to the bathroom, and it is an "emergency"?)

The play "J.S. Kids" began with Bach having his students sing a rather straightforward SATB chorale from St. Matthew's Passion. To look for music for Noah's ark, Bach was transported into 20th century England and met up with Benjamin Britten. The JS Kids sang the last song in Britten's "Noah's Flood". The piece is relatively easy if one studied it a bit. Nonetheless, it has an 8-part canon (fancy word for a round) that involves quite a bit of discipline. Glad to report we pulled it off, in a manner of speaking.

The concert was quite well attended, and I certainly enjoyed being part of the preparation and the performance.