JENNIFER WILLIAMS
On feeling the pops love
The lights dimmed, and a movie began to play on a screen above the orchestra. After Tal’s enchanting invitation to Rotem to attend the Pops concert, they were seen skipping through Ann Arbor to reach the Michigan Theater. While most concerts calmly commence with the conductor entering the stage accompanied by applause, thunderous cheering egged on the two conductors as they skipped through aisles. As I stood with the rest of the orchestra, I realized this concert was going to be full of laughter, crazy antics, and passionately performed music, unlike any concert I had experienced before.
Music has always played an important role in my life. Both of my parents are professional musicians, so from hearing long-tone trombone exercises in the womb to beginning piano lessons in second grade, I have always been exposed to this world. In sixth grade, I decided to partake in the frustrating yet joyous path of playing the oboe. Throughout high school, I had made the most genuine friendships through music, so when first coming to college, I wanted this type of community. I wanted to be surrounded by people who wanted friendships based off of our passion for music and our collective geekiness as musicians. From jamming to the music of “West Side Story” while watching the movie at a woodwind-section get-together to spending our Sundays joining together as musicians to practice, I found this solidarity with Pops.
When the concert commenced, I realized that this concert was about sharing our love of music but also giving the audience a taste of this bonding that can occur through being part of an orchestra. Unlike most orchestra concerts where the audience just simply sits back and listens to the music, this Pops concert was designed to engage and connect people. Through game show segments that put select audience members in the role of the performer to skits about “Grease” and “Romeo and Juliet” that gave the audience a visual way to experience the music, that one night allowed for the audience to be more than just observers. As the orchestra jumped into our encore of the “Victors,” the audience, already on their feet, robustly clapped and sang along. It was the most thrilling pieces on the concert because for those few minutes, we had created something truly unique. We had made our orchestra of friends grow to include an audience of strangers. For that night, the audience could understand the power of being part of an orchestra, the power of Pops Love.
Jennifer Williams is currently a freshman with prospective majors in Computer Science and Psychology. She enjoys swing dancing, playing piano, and singing the entire Hamilton soundtrack by heart.
1/1/20