When Stars Align

“It's really important for students to have the experience of what the recording process is like,” says Weiss, adding that there have been numerous such projects over the years at Oberlin. For a recording of a newer work, “it’s harder, in a certain way, because you don't have an existing document to refer to,” he adds. “But it can also be easier because you don't have the weight of history.”

Now that the recording is out in the world, Weiss says he’s proud of the students’ efforts and professionalism. “We made a really great, high-quality document. Everyone who performs this piece will use this. They will listen to this recording, and it will have an impact on them.” 

The students who participated said they found the recording process to be “challenging” and “a little intimidating” at first, but concluded that it was an invaluable experience. “For the winds, we all had our individual mics,” said clarinetist Jared Sta. Ana ’27, adding that one of the movements took more than 100 takes. “Working with Vijay and Jenny and Judith gave me a taste of what it's actually like in the real world. They all had very clear ideas and specific ideas of what they wanted.”

Bryan’s concerto, meanwhile, took inspiration from visual art and nods to works by three women artists: Tree of Hope by Frida Kahlo, The Eclipse by Alma Thomas, and Eclipsed Time by Maya Lin. “It was less about any artistic style, and it was more that they each had work that had something to do with planetary themes and eclipses,” Bryan says, adding that Koh gave her advice on the technical aspects of the concerto as she was writing it. “I knew Frida Kahlo's work the most.And then I found this piece of Maya Lin that was a piece called Eclipsed Time, which used to exist in Penn Station in New York.” She titled her concerto Syzygy, a word that typically denotes an alignment of three planetary bodies, like the Earth, sun, and moon.

Koh paired Iyer’s concerto with Bryan’s piece because of their contrasts; Iyer’s begins with an “almost primordial movement that's almost like being born out of like the sludge of the beginning of the universe,” she says. Although Koh and Bryan didn’t overlap at Oberlin, Koh had encountered Bryan’s work previously and loved it enough to commission a new work; today, she describes Syzygy as feeling like “coming home” to play.

As to the connection with the Obama Presidential Center? The planets aligned there too: Koh had been collaborating with Weems on a separate project when the two began talking about Weems’ installation for the center, which is about “embracing the multitudinous voices and musical voices and artists of America,” Koh says. Weems invited her to collaborate — in fact, one of the photos in The Cool Blue Wind is of Koh’s hands — and the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble-Koh take on “Assembly” ended up on the installation speakers, which Weems had also designed.

Koh says that she will continue working with Oberlin students to record additional concertos and anticipates returning to campus  for another recording at a later date. “With students, there’s a kind of openness to experimenting and trying new things. There’s still fear, but there’s a willingness to work and play without fear. Honestly, that’s something special to Oberlin.”

The Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble is one of more than 30 large ensembles in the Oberlin Conservatory. These faculty-directed ensembles range in size and breadth of repertoire, encompassing vocal, instrumental and electroacoustic music. Additionally, the Conservatory has several active student-led ensembles that represent various areas of interest, innovations in music, and musical collaborations.