Hitting a High Note

Students talk about studying and performing with Osvaldo Golijov

Katherine Schmieg ’09, a classics major from Philadelphia, screamed so loudly when she got word that she was one of 16 Holy Cross students who would be joining conductor Maria Guinand’s acclaimed Schola Cantorum de Caracas in performing Osvaldo Golijov’s St. Mark Passion that her roommate thought she won the lottery.

Cassandra Chapel ’09, Amanda D’Onofrio ’08, Michael Ferraguto ’09, and Schmieg recently talked about working with Golijov for the prestigious performance, and receiving advice from the renowned composer.

In August, world-renowned composer Golijov, Loyola professor of music at Holy Cross, served as first composer-in-residence for Lincoln Center’s 2007 Mostly Mozart Festival.

The Holy Cross students who performed were all members of the College Choir and were specially selected for the performance. In addition to the aforementioned, they were: Emily Burdick ’09, Sarah D’Angelo ’07, Rob Denien ’08, Maureen Gassert ’07, Sara Greene ’09, Abbey Jones ’07, Caitrin Perry ’07, Catherine Provenzano ’07, Thomas Raines ’10, Fran Rogers ’08, Stephen Smith ’10, and Kris Zelesky ’10.

“Working with Osvaldo was like living out a dream,” says Chapel ’09, a music major with a concentration in peace and conflict studies from Savannah, Ga. “He is one of the most inspiring people I know. During the rehearsals at the Lincoln Center, Osvaldo would explain exactly what he wanted from the music with such enthusiasm and passion that it was hard not to be completely enthralled in everything I was learning and doing.”

She adds: “Osvaldo’s work is completely overwhelming, breathtaking, and so powerful that you can’t help but be mentally, physically, and spiritually moved by it. My parents were able to come see one of the performances, and they were completely floored by the complex cultural elements of what is typically a traditional genre of music.”
 
Chapel took Golijov’s Music in Latin America course this past fall.

“Having him as a professor this past semester was just as rewarding as the opportunity to sing the Passion. Osvaldo is humble about all of his accomplishments, but by listening to what he has to say about music and the different Latin American cultures it is very easy to see his sheer genius with music and the heart that goes into it.”

D’Onofrio, a music major from Stamford, Conn., has completed two classes with Golijov, who has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1991.

“He is a great teacher who is incredibly passionate about what he teaches and cares for his students on a personal level,” she says. “What amazes me most about him is his extreme humility and how much he loves to learn from his students. It was fun to be able to work with him outside of the classroom and see him in his element as a composer. During rehearsals he was very supportive but clear in how the music should be performed. It was great to watch his creativity and interaction with top musicians.”

She says one of the highlights of performing at the Mostly Mozart festival was meeting so many talented performers.

“Not only was it musically challenging to learn the complex choir music, but it was so exciting to work with the top quality of musicians who perform in The Passion,” she says. “It pushed me as a performer and was a great learning experience. It was also a great way to meet new people and learn about different cultures, as most of the performers were not from the United States.”

Ferraguto, a music and French double major from Woburn, calls the performance “a life changing experience.”

“It put all of us center stage with one of the world’s most renowned choirs performing a relatively new work that is gaining international acclaim. The most important part, however, was that it was fun! Everyone in the choir from Caracas was excited about having the Holy Cross students there, and because of that their performance was energized with a new vigor.”

Ferraguto is currently enrolled in a yearlong tutorial with Golijov, composing a string quartet modeled after Dvorak’s “American” quartet. He says he struggled at first, but once he got settled into the form he began to — quoting his teacher — “fly.”

Golijov will continue to work with Ferraguto to polish his piece before it is performed on campus at the end of next semester.

Related Information:

• Internationally-renowned musician Golijov composes score for new Coppola film, Youth Without Youth