Your assignment is to attend a symphony, opera, ballet, or choral concert. I suggest that you choose as professional an experience as possible since the goal is to experience the very best that live performance has to offer. Venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Los Angeles Music Center, or the Orange County Performing Arts Center and performing groups such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, and Los Angeles Master Chorale are all good places to search for appropriate performances. The Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times is also a good place to locate concerts.
While performances of this caliber can be expensive, they do not have to be. Many venues give discounts to students. Often, an hour before the concert, there is a "student rush" in which remaining tickets are sold to students at very low prices. It is a good idea to call ahead and see if this is available.
In some cases, a major musical in Los Angeles or Orange County is acceptable. However, these vary greatly in quality and may not be acceptable. Check with me first.
Whatever your choice, the performance must include a full, live orchestra and you must be able to observe them. This is often difficult in opera, ballet, or musicals since the orchestra may be sitting in the "pit," an area in front of and below the stage. If this is the case, simply go down to the front of the theater during the intermission and observe them.
After you have attended the concert, please write a 2-3 page report (a minimum of 1,000 words) answering the eight questions below.
Please NUMBER and ANSWER the questions in order.
Finally, remember that your report must be in your own words, not simply copied from other sources.
List the TITLE and COMPOSER of each piece performed.
Write at least a paragraph about each composer including a brief biography of their life.
From what period (Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Contemporary) does each piece of music come? In other words, when was the piece written?
What are the stylistic qualities of that period of music?
What was the instrumentation of the orchestra? Draw or describe the seating arrangement of the orchestra.
What kind of listener were you? Why?
Discuss the music drawing on the following criteria from the Course: Unity and Variety, Structure, Purpose, Form, Tempo, Volume, Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony.
Finally, did you enjoy the concert? Why or why not?