In this episode, we spoke with ballet dancer Samuel Melnikov. After studying in the Dance Academy from 2014 to 2017, Sam joined the New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2020.
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BACH Suite for Violin and Harpsichord in A Major, BWV 1025 Kako Miura (Conservatory ’19), Violin Ian Pritchard, Harpsichord
DEBUSSY Afternoon of a Faun Martha Chan, Flute Wei Pan, Clarinet Kristina Annamukhamedova, Piano
After a two-year hiatus, choral music returns to Colburn, now under the leadership of conductor, composer, and singer, Adrian Dunn. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Adrian joins us in Los Angeles by way of the Midwest, where he began his musical education like so many: in church.
Growing up in a little congregation his family still attends in East Cleveland—Starlight Baptist Church—Adrian says he was singing as young as five or six. Starting so early not only taught him how to sing, he says, but also how to perform in front of people.
That valuable foundation would carry Adrian through high school all-state choirs and summers at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. He would go on to be an undergraduate at the Music Conservatory at Roosevelt University in Chicago, with additional studies in opera at the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki, Finland, before returning to Roosevelt for a master’s degree in voice and opera.
This interview has been edited for style, length, and clarity.
Who are your musical influences?
Wow—influences. I just did an album about my influences, so this is an interesting! I would say Moses Hogan, Roland Carter, Nathan Carter. I am a Beethoven fan. Prince. Oh, Whitney Houston! You know, I’m influenced by all kinds of music: on the jazz side, definitely, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jasmine Horn, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, love Gregory Porter. On the hip-hop side, Kanye and Common—I’m a millennial, so I grew up where that was popular music. And so, your Boyz 2 Men’s, your Drew Hill’s, and all of those are how I learned to harmonize in high school, kind of simultaneously with my more formal training, which, for me, included Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Poulenc’s Gloria, the Beethoven Choral Fantasy in the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus—so I was in the midst of so much music. And that was helpful to me as an adult going into opera. My favorite opera composer is Verdi, love Richard Strauss; those are some of my favorites on the other side.
Who are your favorite vocalists?
Whitney Houston, for sure. Pavarotti. I like Jonas Kaufman, Placido Domingo, Larry Brownlee, Russell Thomas, Simon Estes, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leontyne Price, Renee Fleming… a friend of mine, J’Nai Bridges—I love her voice. There are just so many singers that I’m kind of in love with, but those are a few off the top.
Do you think there’s any throughline that draws you to the artists you mentioned?
They all possess a level of virtuosity in their singing that is truly special. I believe that everyone can learn to sing—clearly, I’m a voice teacher—I think everyone can learn to sing and can be a better singer. And at the same time, I think that there are also people who were just put on the earth to sing.
How did you get into choral education?
In my senior year of high school, I had the ability to do an independent study for my senior project, so I was the choir director for the women’s training choir in my high school. My choir director gave me a lot of space and latitude in regards to picking my own music, and I had to conduct a class. He was always there of course, but he was very hands-off, and that really allowed me to use that time as a laboratory for learning. That project set me up in a lot of ways. During my summers at Interlochen, I started a choir to explore the music of Black composers. As an adult singing with various groups, I learned more about the professional level.
Regarding the senior project, were there parameters or was it self-directed?
I feel like there might have been; it’s been so long, but what I do remember is my teacher. He and I were very close, and he was a real mentor to me. He wanted to show me the ropes beyond just those projects. He was a person I saw every day, and he gave me an idea of what a working musician really does outside of that highest professional level: what it’s like to go in a classroom. That teaching part is what he helped me understand, and I was able to develop a real pedagogy and philosophy on choral music.
Segueing off of pedagogy, would you speak about your plans for the Community School Choral Program that you are building?
I’m hoping that through the next few years we’re able to grow, to raise the level of what it is that we do—that every genre of music we perform, we do excellently. I also feel like keeping the focus on the music and singing, especially together, are the things we need in order to help students have the confidence, the self-image, and the important life skills that are so valuable to becoming a citizen in our society. I think being able to share with younger people is so critical but particularly in this day and age where students can feel alone or isolated or like they don’t have support. Music quite literally saved my life, so to be able to bring all of these experiences that we just talked about, to share this love of music with young people in the community… I think that’s the whole point.
Would you speak more about the differences between the three choir ensembles?
The children’s choir is for our youngest children to get their feet wet and explore the basics of choral singing: what is it to be in a group; etiquette, posture, technique; and how to practice. Youth Chorus is an intermediate group, a preparation for the concert choir. And then the more advanced group is the Concert Choir. They will do four-part arrangements and explore a larger breadth of work, both in terms of genre and level of difficulty.
What do you want your students to learn, to achieve?
I want them to achieve musical independence—musical thought that is their own—to be able to walk away feeling empowered, like they’ve learned something. I hope that students are able to come away feeling like they’ve truly had a life experience, something that has changed them for the better.
Would you speak more about this idea of musical independence?
It’s autonomous thought of being able to say, I think this because of this, you know? I think through music, you get to learn so much—I mean, there are so many composers in the world, and very often we’re only familiar with maybe 10 names. So for me, it’s important to cultivate the kind of learning where students are able to say, ‘I know that this is valuable for me.’ I’ve talked about music in my own life, and how these choirs are about more than just learning pieces and coming to rehearsal. They’re more about lifelong music-making: How are you going to make music for the rest of your life? And how can music serve you in your life?
Learn about the Community School Choral Program
Interested in joining one of the choirs? Sign up to audition here.
For more information about the choirs or the Community School’s other offerings, submit an inquiry here.
Support our Choral Ensembles
With Adrian’s exciting new appointment, we are calling out to our community to help us start the School’s first ever collection of choral music. Our choral students need scores for rehearsals and performances this year, and we need you! Any gift, big or small, can get us closer to our goal of $3,000, so please make a gift today.
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As part of Colburn’s Next Up Series, which showcases alumni, we’re speaking with the alumni curators of each program and sharing these conversations as minisodes. In this episode, we speak with Makiko Hirata, who has curated our final Next Up program of the 2021-22 Season. Her program will explore the life and music of Ernst Toch in historical context, performing pieces in chronological order with narration from Toch’s grandson, author Lawrence Weschler. The program begins with the Brahms and Mozart of Toch’s early days in Europe—before fleeing the influence of Nazi Germany—through Toch’s very last piano pieces written in Southern California in 1962.
The concert takes place in Thayer Hall on Thursday, May 12. Register for the concert.
JAMES STEPHENSON Celestial Suite for Brass Quintet V. Hawking Jackson Prasifka, Horn Diego Stine, Tuba Gracie Potter, Trombone Forrest Johnston, Trumpet Tyler Norris, Trumpet From Next Up: Celestial Suite, April 27
As part of Colburn’s Next Up Series, which showcases alumni, we’re speaking with the alumni curators of each program and sharing these conversations as minisodes. In this minisode, we talk to Kyle Kremer (Conservatory ’15) who has curated the upcoming program for the Next Up Series. His program is called Celestial Suite: Combining Music and Astronomy, which will feature a brass quintet from the Colburn Conservatory of Music along with Kyle’s narration and visual projections of the cosmos.
The concert takes place in Thayer Hall on Wednesday, April 27.
Register for the concert
MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13 I. Adagio – Allegro vivace Zi Yang Low, Violin Blues Zhang, Violin Haixin Wan, Viola Angeline Kiang, Cello From the Music Academy Young Artist Performance, March 19
RACHMANINOFF Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos in C Major, Op. 17 III. Romance Daniel Wang, Piano 1 Ukki Sachedina, Piano 2 From the Music Academy Young Artist Performance, February 12
In this special minisode, cellist and Conservatory student James Baik discusses his preparation for his performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra on April 21 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. This is the season closer for the Colburn Orchestra, and it will be under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis.
Learn more about the Colburn Orchestra concert on April 21
As part of Colburn’s Next Up Series, which showcases alumni, we’re speaking with the alumni curators of each program and sharing these conversations as minisodes. In this minisode, we talk to Evin Blomberg (Conservatory ’15). Evin curated a program that features solo violin repertoire by Kreisler, Ysaÿe, Marsalis, and Bach. The beautifully rendered solo performance is her inspired answer to the isolated realities brought on by the pandemic.
The concert takes place virtually on March 17.
KREISLER Recitativo und Scherzo-Caprice, Op.6
BACH Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 V. Chaconne
This month is all things Tap Fest! In this episode, we speak with tap faculty in the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute Denise Scheerer and Johnnie Hobbs III about teaching and curating our first Tap Fest since 2019, and the legendary tap dancer and guest artist, Samuel Weber, explains Kahnotation (example below) and the role of dancers as musicians.
Learn more about the Tap Fest 2022
Watch Samuel Weber explain Kahnotation
An example of Kahnotation:
This month, hear from two alumni from our first national Fortissima cohort, Bianca Quddus and Lauren Elise Edwards. These remarkable young women were selected to participate in this year’s Fortissima program, which is an artistic and leadership development program at the Colburn School. It is designed to inspire, equip, and empower high school age young women from underrepresented minorities in classical music to pursue professional training and careers in the field.
Learn more about the Fortissima Program
Watch Fortissima in Concert from November 6
As part of Colburn’s Next Up Series, which showcases alumni, we’re speaking with the alumni curators of each program and sharing these conversations as minisodes. In this minisode, we talk to Kako Miura (Conservatory ’19), who curated our first in-person program, To Be Bach or Not To Be Bach, which paints a picture of the musical world in which the composer lived.
The concert takes place in Thayer Hall on Thursday, December 9.
BACH Suite in G Major, BVW 1007 Benjamin Chilton, Viola