The Wallis at Capitol Records

The past two seasons, GRoW @ The Wallis has offered a course for young musicans – “The Art of the Small Ensemble in Classical Music and Jazz.”  The goal is to bring together classical students and jazz students to explore both genres together.  The course has been co-taught by classical pianist Miori Sugiyama and jazz percussionist Jamey Tate.   The program culminated in a public concert in our Lovelace Studio Theater.  The pieces the students performed included classical and jazz selections in their “traditional” forms and several that sought to mash-up musical styles, with jazz improvisations inserted within classical pieces.

This year, thanks to Jamey and his relationships at Capitol Records in Hollywood, our Wallis students had the incredible opportunity to record their music at Capitol Records.  They were thrilled to take their place among the legions of artists who have recorded in those historic studios.  We can’t wait to see the future musical journeys of our students:  Ben Farahi (guitar); Spencer Lemann (guitar and bass); Dylan Olliver (saxophone); Emily Webster-Zuber (piano), Kaitlin Webster-Zuber (piano).

Below, please find Soundcloud links to professional recordings of our students:

Opera Arias Reinterpreted

1. Piangerò la sorte mia
   from Act III, Scene 1 of the opera Giulio Cesare by George Frideric Handel
   Arrangement: Spencer Lemann, student
   #1, #2, #3
   
2. Voi, che sapete
   from Act II of the opera Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
   Improvisations: Ben Farahi, jazz guitar
3. Four-hand piano piece:
   Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5
   Arranged for four hands
   Emily Webster-Zuber and Kaitlin Webster-Zuber
4. I Asked
5. Just Friends