issue 65 - february 1, 2015
DESCRIPTION
The Penguin, a monthly newspaper, is run entirely by current students and recent graduates of the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA.TRANSCRIPT
(PHOTO COURTESY JONAS TARM PHOTOGRAPHY)
F-F-February, It’s Time For Renewal!
THE PENGUINN E C ’ S S T U D E N T - R U N N E W S P A P E R
GO ON A YOGA JOURNEY
WITH TAYLOR
CHECK OUT SOME
OF OUR STUDENTS’
APARTMENTS
NEC ALUMNUS ROB DEHLINGER SPEAKS TO US ABOUT HIS SUCCESS
HOW OWNING
A CAT CAN TURN YOU
INTO A ZEN MASTER
WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
ISSUE 65 FEBRUARY 1, 2015
PG. 8
PG. 3
PG. 2
PG. 6
PG. 4
WE’VE GOT SOME THOUGHTS ON LOVE
So! You’ve made it to the so-called “Spring Semester”? Good for you! If the Boston winter hasn’t already beaten you into submission, then the coming months full of auditions, recitals, and exams is sure to ... ... that is, of course, unless you follow the expert advice we’ve laid out for you in this brand new issue of The Penguin! This month, we’re all about renewal! Whether it’s a renewed ap-proach to school, some new perspectives on love, two different approach-es to enlightenment, an awesome new way to stage an old piece of music,
or just some new recipes, we’ve got you covered. We’ve also got a new alumni profile, following trumpeter Rob Dehlinger on his truly unique path to success, and a great inside look at three homes from our NEC students! At a month where NEC opens its doors to hundreds of prospec-tive students, we want to welcome everyone who comes through our doors into our warm embrace! Stay warm, audition well, and know that we at The Penguin are rooting for you all the way! Happy February!
penguin CULTUREZen Master ... Cat? by FRANKIE YU
Second-Year MM TromboneON THE IMPERMANCE OF THINGS
I am going to introduce two seemingly unrelated things. The first is the Sand Mandala, which is a practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Used as a form of meditation, the monks creating the mandala spend a period of days, possibly extending into weeks, pouring coloured sand onto a platform. Using the sand to create a series of ancient spiritual symbols and geometric shapes, the artists form a beautiful piece of art representing earth and it’s inhabitants. Once the creation is complete the monks then sweep across the mandala, dispersing the sand. There is then a ceremony where the sand is collected and released back into nature. This is to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, and to demonstrate the idea of non-attachment.
The second thing is my cat PJ (pictured above in my author photo!). My roommate and I adopted him 2 years ago with the idea that we were adopting a cuddly warm creature who would do nothing but love us, but as he grew from a feisty kitten into an even feistier adult, it seemed that our idea was a little bit off. The thing with PJ is that he doesn’t seem to understand his capability to destroy. His strong curiosity to see what happens to things as he pushes them off surfaces has resulted in countless broken drinking glasses and mugs. His adventures into my closet has left me with holes ripped in my sweaters and dresses. And when I leave him
alone at night to sleep, he uses my boots and shoes as tools for hunting practice, leaving them scarred with gashes and tears.
I bring up these two topics because I have come up with this theory: my cat is turning me zen. When something or someone destroys your things, my initial reaction is to get
angry. It was mine, and now it is destroyed – now I am mad. But when I turned around ready to
aim my anger at PJ and saw him sitting there with his attention already
onto something else (cats ... am I right?), I realized how silly
it was. Because he doesn’t understand the meaning of things belonging to someone else, or that he broke it. He’s just a cat being ... well, a cat. It made me think about my unnecessary attachment
to my belongings, and needing to have things just
so; after all, it’s all just stuff. Would I really miss it now that
it’s gone? When I came to the conclusion of no, I would not miss
it, it opened up a new way of seeing things. It made me think of what really is
important to me, and it’s also changed my approach to things in my everyday life, my practice room habits included. I feel more at peace.
Life is as simple as we make it out to be – a public service announcement from your local cat.
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“Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.” – Albert Einstein “But anyway I think you’re bionic
And I don’t think you’re beautiful, I think you’re beyond it”
- Lil’ Wayne
Such is my love, to thee I so belong,That for thy right myself will bear all wrong
- William Shakespeare (Sonnet 88)
When Love speaks, the voice of all the gods Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony. – William Shakespeare (Love’s Labour’s Lost, 4.3)
We all spend hours with our instruments daily, but how do you know when things have just gone too far? Here are some indications that your relationship with your instrument has become more than a strictly professional one.
1. It’s the first and last thing you think of everyday.
2. You cancel on your friends just to spend time with it.
3. You lose focus in your classes because you just can’t get it off your mind.
4. You keep track of it at all times, making sure it is comfortable and well taken care of.
5. You daydream about your future together.
6. When things aren’t working out between the two of you, you lock yourself in a room with it until you have addressed your issues.
7. You talk about it all the time, to the point where your non-musician
friends are sick of hearing about it.
8. You pay for all of its needs.
9. You are defensive when someone criticizes it.
10. You constantly show public displays of affection: holding it, putting your lips on it, etc.
11. You go traveling together, from a romantic tour of Europe to an exciting trip to New York city.
12. You couldn’t imagine life without it.
13. You’ve been living together so long that some states would consider it a common-law marriage.
So now that you’ve defined your relationship: Happy Valentine’s day to you and your instrument!
All You Need Is Love by SARAH ATWOODFirst-Year MM Violin
A SHORT ODE TO LOVE
Are You Dating Your Instrument? by SOPHIA ADICKESThird-Year UD Voice
A SHORT GUIDE TO YOUR CONSTANT COMPANION
Everyone can feel it, everyone yearns for it, and everyone express-
es it in different ways. Love can be beautiful, funny, cheesy, serious,
sad, and painful (sometimes all at once!). Love, and being in love
are separate things; semantics aside, the love you feel for your dog
versus your partner are obviously different -- but both are valid.
You know how some super-small people can eat seven full
servings of dinner and you wonder where it all goes? I wonder
that about love. I think people have infinite space inside themselves
for all different kinds of love. Parents who have a second child
somehow expand, so that they can love the second just as much as
the first. The great phenomenon of love can be expressed through
pretty much any medium.
As musicians, we’re pretty lucky that we have the outlet
of music and art. This month of pink and confetti and valentines
may not be your cup of tea, but try to celebrate whatever love you
have in your life in some shape or form (Buying chocolate for your
roommate counts)! So have fun experiencing love, and save a little
to last the rest of the year too :)
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Although I practice consistently, I hardly consider myself a yogi. I see so many beautiful people who are more flexible, strong, passionate, and driven than I am both mentally and physically. But when I was asked to write an article about my yoga journey I began to think about how yoga itself is simply ... a journey. In my eyes it is a rite of passage, one which helps me transition from a tightly wound, stressed human to simply a soul with a filled heart and open mind. All the bad rehearsals and practice sessions, all the upcoming tests, all the immense pressure to perform my best melts away with each pose. It is just me, my mat, and a journey. So maybe I am a yogi ... ?
I thought about it and I guess I’ve learned that just like being a musician, yoga is not about reaching a certain point in your practice that automatically qualifies you to be a yogi; just as there is no specific instance that officially certifies you to be a musician. Who knew that getting first chair in All State band wasn’t actually the qualifier of being a musician, after all?! You are a musician when you say you are. Because of this, I consider myself to have been a yogi from day one of my journey. Please join me in recollecting my adventure to see how yoga has impacted my life as a musician, and how the two are entwined.
I first started practicing yoga almost a year ago and I never looked back! A friend asked me if I would like to join him at one of the daily yoga classes offered at the Y. I had taken only one class elsewhere long before and hadn’t enjoyed it much (exercise is hard, ok!) but still, I obliged. After the first class, I was completely hooked. I wanted to do handstands, and arm balances, and basically be a human rubber band. Totally logical
and achievable, right? HA. Yeah, definitely not there yet. In fact, I completely face planted this past week during a yoga class while working on handstands. Go ahead and laugh because I would’ve laughed at me too. However, after this first class, because I had this eagerness to get stronger and learn more, I continued.
I started to take classes at Back Bay Yoga where I furthered my practice more in two weeks than I had in one semester prior. (Shameless plug for Back Bay Yoga because they
are such knowledgeable, welcoming, and beautiful humans.) I learned many new poses, took specific courses such as: yoga for runners, meditational yoga, arm balances, hip hop yoga ... basically anything you could imagine. At this point I was addicted. I could see results! I was able to do things I never could before. I was in LOVE with yoga.
Then something changed. Summer came and my yoga pass at Back Bay expired. I felt I was too advanced for the Y yoga classes and I was busy working and travelling. For something I felt I had loved
so much, I didn’t miss it much. This went on for a while until I realized something needed to change. My soul was craving so much more than gym visits, and my stress and anxiety at the beginning of the school year was through the roof. I find this very relatable to what so many musicians at the conservatory level go through. Most musicians start off loving their art and this is the driving force behind everything they do, but this passion for music can quickly change into an encumbrance rather than a form of expression, and soon leaves them wanting more.
Trombone Saluting The Sun by TAYLOR BLANTONThird-Year BM Trombone
TAYLOR REFLECTS ON THE IMPACT YOGA HAS HAD ON HER MUSICIANSHIP
TAYLOR MAKING US JEALOUS.
4 JANUARY 30, 2015
Email YOUR questions to [email protected]!
After recognizing this need, I found yoga again, except this time I experienced something immensely deeper than before. I realized that yoga was so much more than a series of physical poses. First and foremost it is about the mental process. Once I really tapped into this so many things in my life changed. I crave ending my day with yoga now to release all my stress and to reset my intentions for the next day; to let go of all the bad and inhale all of the good. Not that I no longer want to be able to do handstands and arm balances anymore, but my main reason for practicing yoga is not to be able to accomplish these things, but to take care of my mental health so that I can open myself to my physical health.
Since having this new outlook, my mental yoga practice is something that I carry with me even when I’m not on my
mat, and as a result the physical side of my yoga practice has improved more than I thought imaginable. I’ve become stronger physically and mentally. Most unexpectedly, it has helped me in my musical practice. I feel more confident and less stressed. I still get nervous, overwhelmed, and have performance anxiety but yoga has taught me how to cope with these negatives and to release them. I know that just like my yoga practice, my musical practice is a journey and will always continue to be.
Just like in yoga, there is physical practice in music, but there also has to be mental practice involved to accomplish what you set forth for yourself. So next time when you feel the weight of auditions, classes, practice sessions, or just general conservatory life, take a step back from the madness and a step forward onto a yoga mat. Namaste!
A New Advice Column! by PENGUIN [email protected]
FRIENDLY ADVICE FROM NEC’S MASCOT
I can never find a room to practice in. Where can I practice?Dear Practice Orphan,
You have several options: have Special Elvis take a break, and
you can serenade Huntington Ave with your trombone, piccolo, or
sultry voice. Elvis might even lend you his karaoke microphone!
Or, consider a broom closet. Seriously, the one in the Jordan Hall
basement isn’t small at all -- and if broom closets are good enough
for Harry Potter, then they’re definitely good enough for you.
Alternatively, use the food strategy: eat your meals at slightly
different times, so when the rest of NEC is at the Bistro or Uno’s,
you have your pick of practice rooms. There is also the lie-in-
wait strategy: start roaming 10 minutes before the new hour rolls
around. There’s a big turnover during that timeframe, as well as
slightly after the hour (thanks to the people running late). The same
strategy will *kind of* work around the half-past time. If none of
these options float your boat, then bribe someone living across the
street to let you practice in their dorm room. Just repeat to yourself,
“it’s not desperate, it’s responsible.” Good luck!
How do I get the girl I like who sits next to me in theory to notice me?Dear Pining,
You can either use your mind-blowing theory powers and wow
her by finding the secondary mediant fourth inversion backwards
upside-down 11th chord. Or, you can be disarmingly charming
and offer your coat to her next time she sneezes. You can also
employ the lie-in-wait strategy from above, except this time you
wait for her outside of the door after class, and ask her to coffee.
That will make your intentions clear, for better or worse. But most
girls enjoy upfront declarations of love, and being on the same
page (regardless) with someone is way better than playing games.
What’s your advice for not forgetting to do my homework?Dear Forgetful,
This is a problem many over-achievers at NEC have. We not only
remember to do our homework, but then we practice for hours on
top of that. And then we rehearse with our quartet, and then we
practice some more. We might even sightread for fun, play gigs, or
compose MORE music to play. Remembering to do your homework
is a good thing, believe me. However, it means that there is barely
- if any - free time to act like a normal human. Forgive me, NEC
teachers, but staying sane and taking care of yourself is more
important then researching an extra source for your history paper.
Do what you need to succeed in ALL areas of life, even if it means
taking an afternoon off from theory homework and practicing
(gulp). Balance is what will help you in the long run, and keep you
happy and inspired.
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by Andrew Nissen
Rob Dehlinger
penguin SPOTLIGHT
I first encountered Rob Dehlinger on Twitter in August of 2014, when he tweeted at The Penguin’s account about the long lost, but not forgotten hockey games between Juilliard and NEC in the late 80s (incidentally where the nickname Penguins comes from!). An NEC alumnus, Rob seems particularly adept at social media, so of course I followed his moves closely. It’s always great to see a former NEC student out there in the real world doing what they love, so we managed recently to find some time to chat about what he is up to and bring his wisdom to readers of The Penguin.
A jazz trumpeter, Rob graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from NEC in 1998. After graduating, Rob says he “realized how great a place NEC was and how much I’d been learning, so I re-applied as a grad student.” Since completing his Master’s in 2000, Rob has been residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the years since moving back, Rob has led a varied career. He plays over 200 live gigs a year, primarily as part of the jump-blues band Stompy Jones, and lends his talents to composing, record-ing, teaching, and singing as well: “My philosophy is always just being open minded and doing different things. I was a jazz major, when I came into NEC as a third year, but I felt a bit behind the ball. Growing up in the west coast I was focused on big band stuff, and NEC had all this bebop improv stuff going on. By the time I
left NEC, I had more than a handle on it, but I was open minded enough to not just pursue that music for my career. And recently, I’ve gotten into this crazy song writing, doodling thing now.”
The “doodling thing” Rob refers to is in reference to his latest album, Songs For My Friends Vol. 1. In 2012, Rob decided to put his skills to the challenge and created a project that aimed to write a new song each week for an entire year: “I was interested in the idea of just challenging myself to write a new song or a new idea every other day basically. I can make something as fast as I’m physically able to do it. I’ll get slowed down by the computer crash-ing, or my kid crying, or the guitar string breaking, but that’s the only thing that slows me down. I thought ‘I need to do something with this.’”
“I remember Stevie Wonder talking about how he just wrote songs all the time, and he just released the good ones. And I remember the Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal, who my friend Felipe Salles introduced me to, had a book where he’d written a song a day for a year. His was just like a little lead sheet. I thought ‘What if I do this but actually record the song too?’ So I went on Facebook and just said “If you guys want a song about yourself, write to me.” I thought, I’ll do one song a week, and putting it out publicly made me accountable.”
6 JANUARY 30, 2015
Originally released just onto his website, Rob found them too good to not release wider. So, he went back to the drawing board with each of them, sweetened the mixes, and the result is the first of two volumes of Songs For My Friends – volume 2 due for release later this year.
The year-long project has led to other things opening up for him, too: “I am a huge Star Wars fan. I discovered that there’s all kinds of podcasts out there. Any weird thing you type in, there’ll be a podcast of it. And some of them are pretty professionally done. So I found these Star Wars podcasts, and I contacted a few of the ones that I really liked and ended up working for some of them. The Skywalking Through Neverland one is really good because it’s this silly, fun, Disney-like Star Wars music. I’ll use some of the John Williams themes and put words to them in my own way.
It was a perfect home for this strange skill that I have. And now, be-cause they are getting a lot of downloads, I’m getting all this extra publicity too. Now people are starting to request me to write music for their podcast. There doesn’t seem to be really anyone else out there doing that at the moment, so I’ve kind of chartered this weird, expressive outlet for myself.”
For a school that seems so encouraging of finding your own voice in music, NEC is lucky to have such a strong embodi-ment of this philosophy in Rob Dehlinger: “NEC gave me so many tools that I’m still learning from today. I had so many lessons where I’m still looking back at my old notes.” One is enticed by the con-cept of this year-long project just by the impact it had on its instiga-tor: “It gave me an idea – for better or worse – of what I really am capable of; to see what came out of me when I worked really fast.” Finally, he adds “It’s good to do what comes naturally.”
A Rite Of Spring Dance Party by NICHOLAS TISHERMANThird-Year BM Oboe
POSSIBLY THE ONLY CONCERT INTENDED TO INCITE A RIOT
At 8:15 on January 18th, 2015, an orchestra of eager students and studs from the freelance scene was growing increasingly impa-tient as they sat in their seats awaiting the downbeat from conduc-tor James Blachly, whose back was turned to an audience mostly comprised of twenty-somethings stuffed on a dance floor in an audi-torium of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, transformed with the glow of neon lighting. At 8:16, James raised his baton, and everyone in the room wondered what would happen next.
Blachly, Zander Fellow of the Boston Philharmonic Orches-tra and founder of the Sheep Island Ensemble, with the vision and direction of Johnny Helyar, had assembled an orchestra to play Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, paid for a cash bar, and invited an audience to enjoy the performance while dancing, moving, grooving, and rocking out to the Rite of Spring. Their nickname for the event? “A Rite of Spring Dance Party,” of course. Presented by the Boston Philharmonic as the inception of their “New Directions” series, BPO partnered up with Groupmuse and Music for Food, so all proceeds benefited The Womens’ Lunch Place.
Nervous classically-trained musicians in the orchestra speculated that there could be a full-on riot (not unprecedented in the slightest), but most assumed we would have a crowded dance floor of people standing still and talking amongst themselves, drinks in hand. As it turned out, the former was closer to the result.
The audience remained mostly motionless through the opening (bravo to Adrian Morejon for plaintively and beautifully presenting the bassoon solo), but when the punching chords of the Augurs of Spring started, excitement brewed and everyone in atten-
dance began to party like it was 1913. Each time Blachly and the orchestra reached a new section, commotion ensued as the crowd found a way to dance to the new music.
Such commotion and palpable energy from the audience was infectious. The orchestra tried to hold together amidst our own excitement and the entropy going on just in front of us. Halfway through the Sacrificial Dance, a collective panic came over the orchestra when we smelled someone smoking marijuana. During a spontaneous encore of the Danse Sacrale, one passionate concert-goer went crowd-surfing (see Instagram for photo evidence). Each member of the orchestra felt like a rockstar when applause explod-ed from the audience after the final thunderous blow of the timpani.
Le Sacre, now a piece performed more as a concert selection than as a real ballet, as it was intended, gains something from having the extra kinetic element in the room. In many ways, it felt more historically accurate to perform under such conditions. Just as in the premiere, the audience provided endlessly unpredictable sounds and distractions. It was like Rite of Spring adversity training for the orchestral musician. But for the audience, it was a chance to experience amazing music in a way that will be forever more memorable and more engaging.
The reaction to the Dance Party was more successful than anyone could have imagined. But where do we go from here? Shostakovich 5 Revolution? Penderecki Halloween Party? Daphnis and Chloe Orgy (maybe not…)? In any case, look for music in Boston and beyond to become more interactive, more engaging, and more exciting for all in the coming years.
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Elise Kolle: Freshman, HarpFavorite part about living in the dorms: “I like the fact that my closet here is bigger than my closet back home. And the convenience is the best – living across the street from the harp room? Can’t beat it.”
After a long day: “I do charcoal drawings as a release, and Katherine reads poetry out loud. We sit on our beds and chat and eat Goldfish.”
Always in our fridge: “I always have Tupperwares of food because I like to cook on the weekends for the week ahead – I always have pesto and soup.”
Favorite thing: My grandmother’s teapot [pictured]
Kathryn Evans: Freshman, Double BassTo unwind: “I drink root beer and read.”
Favorite thing to read: Rumi
Always in our fridge: “ROOT BEER. “
Advice for incoming students: “Have a mini fridge. Fridges change lives.”
Hobbies: “I love to photograph people. It’s fun to take pictures of people over the years and see how they grow up.”
Decorative aesthetic: “I like open spaces. People often ask me why I don’t have that much on my wall, and honestly it’s because I really like the white spaces. It feels very clean to me.”
by ALEXANDRA GILLIAMFourth-Year BM VoiceNEC Cribs
AN INSIDE LOOK AT SOME OF OUR STUDENTS’ APARTMENTS
8 JANUARY 30, 2015
Liz Clutts: Sophomore, Vocal PerformanceFavorite part of living near school: “The convenience is, like, the best in the world. And this part of town is kinda in the center of everything – I can walk to the Pru, and there’s super easy train access to JP.”
One thing we always have in our fridge: “I’m kinda addicted to Jones’ Apple Soda.”
After a long day: “Take a nap, or do my makeup! I’m a little obsessed with that this year.”
Hobbies: “I like to cook. I’ve been making a lot of chicken things lately, and lasagna.”
Aesthetic choices: “I really like white. It’s very serene, and I like the crispness.”
Favorite item: “My bunny! I got it when it was born. It’s very old, and there’s only one soft spot left because I’ve snuggled with it so much. I’m not sure if it’s a guy or a girl – I’ve gone back and forth a bunch – but its name is Bunny. Very creative, I know.”
“We love to sit up on our desk and look at the people walking by on the street. People watching is great.”
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“Basically, I wanted everyone to feel welcome here, and I wanted
it to be fun and modern.”
Sara Law: Senior, Vocal PerformanceOne thing I love about the neighborhood: “I love the location. We’re right by school and Newbury and the Prudential center, and I like being surrounded by all the different colleges. It’s kinda cool to see all of the different lives that are happening all around us.”
Favorite place: “I love my room. It’s my safe space, and deco-rating it was the first time that I had a say over what I wanted my room to be. I got to put it all together myself.”
After a long day: “My favorite thing to do is to go around my apartment, light all of my candles, sit on the couch, and watch TV.”
Favorite candle scent: “Oh, that’s hard! Basically, any kind of floral candle from Bath and Body Works.”
One thing that’s always in the fridge: “I always have water, and I always have chocolate.” (Singers…)
Eric Vinas: Sophomore, Vocal PerformanceTo relax: Watch TV, “Specifically Ina Garten!” and order Gin-ger Exchange or Kashmir.
Favorite spot: “My bed. It’s really comfortable, and I have awesome 1000 thread-count sheets.”
One thing I could not live without: “My bear blanket.” [pic-tured]
10 JANUARY 30, 2015
nature. Roll in the grass. Scrape your knee, get grass stains on the nice jeans your mom just got you. It also feels really suburban here, and there are nice little backyards and everything – instead of waking up to the sounds of dump trucks, you wake up to kids shouting and running to catch the bus on their way to school. It reminds me a lot of my hometown and makes me feel comfort-able.”
Like about the house: “This building is all NEC students, so that’s the hang. It’s nice because the other people here totally get it when you need to get work done or practice – someone is almost always playing music or practicing here – but if you want to chill with people or relax, you can always find someone. I also like to do a lot of my work in the library at school, so that when I get back here, I can kick up my feet and enjoy it. It’s my happy place, and it’s a positive environment to grow as a musician and a human being. I have met some amazing and incredible people in this house, between the people that actually live here and the people that come here to hang with us.”
On living with musicians: “I have a keyboard in my room, so I’ll come home and sing arias after arias, my roommate Alec practices the violin, and Travis will play his saxophone. And sometimes I’ll come out with my ukulele and someone else brings a guitar and we’ll all just sit in the living room and jam out. You can almost always hear some kind of music playing, and I love it.” “We have the composition floor – everyone on the first floor is a composer – and then we have the jazz floor, and then we have the third floor with me, Travis, and Alec [alumni, classical violin].
Zack Johnson: Senior, Vocal PerformanceFavorite area: “The living room. We got pillows on pillows on pillows up in here, and some Beatles posters – they were the first thing to go up when we moved in.”
Favorite thing: “We found this awesome lamp-table in the trash, which is great because you don’t have to take up half the table with a lamp – the lamp is built right in.”
Favorite part about the neighborhood: “I love living here. It’s awesome because it’s easy to get away – you’re not being hit with all the traffic sounds, but it’s a fifteen-minute, straight shot to school. Close, but not too close. And there are trees here! The city’s like, ‘yo buildings, yo people’ all the time, but out here, you can go be in the woods for a little while if you want. We’re super close to the Arboretum, so we can go out and enjoy
Travis Bl iss : Senior, Jazz SaxophoneFavorite item: “Green towels. I’m not sure if I could ever use a towel that’s not green.”
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penguin RECIPESI know for a fact that when I say the beginning, middle, and end of a second semester at NEC is always crazy busy, I’m not just speaking for
myself! I can honestly say that when I have days of back to back classes paired with early morning and late night rehearsals, food becomes
a very low priority for me. This semester, I barely have time for breakfast, lunch doesn’t exist so I’m forced to eat small finger foods in class,
and dinner needs to be something quick and easy because of how exhausted I am! Because of this crazy food schedule (or lack thereof), I
have turned to preparing my meals ahead of time and then freezing them so that when I come home, I can pour my prepared ingredients
into a pan, pop them into the oven for a short amount of time, and then dig in! Here are two of my go-to make ahead recipes, both provided
by www.livingwellspendingless.com
Herb Roasted Chicken BreastIngredients1 cup olive oil3 tablespoons dried onion4 cloves of garlic crushed2 teaspoons dried thyme1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed1/2 teaspoon ground sage1 1/2 teaspoons oregano2 cups chicken broth1 1/2 teaspoon season salt1 teaspoon ground black pepper1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped8 bone-in chicken breasts or thighs, with or without skin
InstructionsCrush garlic.In a medium size bowl, prepare the basting sauce by combining olive oil, broth, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, salt, pepper & parsley.Be sure to label bags first then divide mixture into the 2 bags. Then add chicken to bags with basting sauce, massage basting sauce around chicken then freeze.Thaw chicken and cook in shallow baking dish. Cover with tinfoil.Roast at 425 degrees F, if desired baste occasionally with pan drip-pings, cook for about 45-60 minutes. (Use a meat thermometer to be safe!) Once cooked, plate on a warm platter and spoon pan juices over top.Tip: Roast potatoes at the same time. Toss potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley.Roast uncovered on baking sheet.Prep time: 5-7 minutes, Cook time: 35-45 minutes, Servings: 8
Easy Tomato Parmesan ChickenIngredients1 24oz jar tomato/spaghetti sauce (such as Ragu)2 15oz cans diced tomatoes, drained1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese1 cup mozzarella, shredded (optional)1 tablespoon Italian seasoning4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced1/3 cup fresh parsley
3-4 lbs skinless, boneless chicken
InstructionsPress or mince garlic and chop parsley.Combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, seasoning, parsley and garlic.OPTIONAL: If making ahead and freezing, remember to label your 2 gallon size freezer bags then divide chicken into 2 bags. Pour sauce over chicken.Thaw if frozen. Pour contents of bag into casserole dish, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) and bake, covered, at 425 degrees for approx for 35-45 minutes (time may vary based on size of chicken–be sure to check before eating!) Alternatively, you can cook in crock-pot for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high (but we HIGHLY recommend using the oven–it gives it a much better flavor and texture!)Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes in oven or in crock pot for 4-6 hours on low, Servings: 8
Easy, Freezy, And BountifulMAKE AHEAD MEALS!
by ELIZABETH WENDTThird-Year BM Voice
12 JANUARY 30, 2015
penguin CONCERTSA timid Carmelite novice, who entered the convent seeking refuge from fear, comes face to face with a revolution screaming for blood. How does courage surface from the depths of terror? Come hear it—come feel it—in Poulenc’s masterpiece! When the world goes mad, innocents suffer. Poulenc’s stunning masterpiece is about fear, and conquering that fear—with courage and the power of love.
Dialogues Of The CarmelitesFEBRUARY 7, 8 , 9 , & 10 , CUTLER MAJES T I C THEATRE
This program will also include a 19th-century violin concerto.
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100
Andante, Allegro marcato, Adagio, Allegro giocoso
NEC Symphony + LoebelWEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 , 8 P.M . , JORDAN HALL
NEC alum John Medeski ‘88 returns to his alma mater to play piano and Hammond B-3 organ with
the NEC Jazz Orchestra in a concert featuring his own music alongside works by Duke Ellington,
Rakalam Bob Moses, and Ken Schaphorst. Medeski is best known as a member of Medeski Martin
& Wood, a group with deep roots at NEC, where Medeski connected with fellow NEC student, Chris
Wood, and was introduced to Billy Martin through NEC faculty member Bob Moses.
The concert will feature new arrangements of three of Medeski’s compositions–“Otis,” “Querencia”
and “Where’s Sly?”–as well as two Ellington compositions that Medeski has recorded, “Blues for
New Orleans” and “Chinoiserie.” These are the opening tracks from two late Ellington suites. “New
Orleans Suite” (1970), commissioned by George Wein for the New Orleans Jazz Festival, also
became a Grammy-winning recording. “The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse” (1971) was one of Ellington’s
last large-scale works.
Ken Schaphorst will direct the NEC Jazz Orchestra in the performance of two of his new pieces,
“Two Street” and “Smoke,” both featuring Medeski on the Hammond organ.
NEC faculty member Rakalam Bob Moses will join Medeski and the ensemble on his composition
“African Violet,” written for the 2000 recording “Nishoma” that was created as a tribute to his late
mother.
Ellington, Medeski, Moses, SchaphorstTHURSDAY, F EBRUARY 26 , 8 P.M . , JORDAN HALL
13 WWW.NECPENGUIN.COM
Drop by the President’s Library to try out new musical performance apps
every Thursday anytime between noon to 1:00 pm. This is your chance to help make the best music apps in the world! Pizza, snacks, and rewards each week.
SONATION WEEKLY OPEN PLAY-IN!
CONTACT [email protected] FOR MORE INFORMATION.
penguins GET CREATIVEthe door opens by NATALIE ALPER-LEROUX
Third-Year BM Viola
hallway, whitewashed clean;lightbulbs flicker, hang from wires,
buzz like softest bees
walking heavy, dryashy steps in chalky dust
past framed blank portraits
paint peels off doorpostsslivers of brown cut my eyes;
every door is locked
my skin bleeds out redmy clothes bleed out blue, until
everything is white
black square hole looms smalldown the infinite straight line:
a way out, or in?
fourteen thousand cloudsof grey-white hall dust later,
the ebon portal.
gilded letters read:“LEND YOUR EARS TO MY COLORS”
my head touches them
and suddenly, noise:ORANGEREDYELLOWBLUEGREEN
INDIGOVIOLET
my head snaps back upinto the white noise hallway...
no longer peaceful
hissing light bulbs overwhite portrait maws yawning wide
chalky ash whirlwinds
I look back againat a golden gleaming knob,
it turns, and I run
14 JANUARY 30, 2015
Oscars Match Up by ISABELLA DAWISThird-Year BM Voice
MATCH THESE 2015 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES WITH THE DESCRIPTIONS
2015 Academy Award Music Nominees, Without Any Jazz Drums* (Even Though One Of The Best Picture Nominees Is About Jazz Drumming)!
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)
2. The Imitation Game (Alexandre Desplat)
3. Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)
4. Mr. Turner (Gary Yershon)
5. The Theory of Everything (Jóhann Jóhannsonn)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
a. Atonal saxophone chamber music. For real.
b. Repetitive keyboard figurations = tortured math genius.
c. Sometimes there’s a choir going “Bum, bum, bum, bum.”
d. Repetitive keyboard figurations = tortured math genius.
e. The composer wrote a bunch of organ music, even though he didn’t know what the movie was
about.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
a. The unplugged version really moves me. I still love you, Devo.
b. People in the background chanting = soul-stirring anthem.
c. Alzheimer’s is sad.
d. People in the background chanting = soul-stirring anthem.
e. No, this isn’t Once. It’s Twice! HAHA! I’m going crazy from
Snowpocalypse!!!
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
1. “Everything is AWESOME!!!” The Lego Movie (Shawn Patterson)
2. “Glory,” Selma (John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn)
3. “Grateful,” Beyond the Lights (Diane Warren)
4. “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell … I’ll be Me (Glen Campbell, Julian Raymond)
5. “Lost Stars,” Begin Again (Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois)
THE PENGUINN E C ’ S S T U D E N T - R U N N E W S P A P E R
SUBMIT SOMETHING!If you'd like to contribute an
article, illustration, or idea, email a 1-2 sentence proposal to: [email protected]
We’d love to hear from you! Please limit articles to 650 words.
PENGUIN PENMENAndrew Nissen, editorSuzanne Hegland, faculty editorSophia (Sophie) Adickes, writerDavid Adewumi, writerNatalie Alper-Leroux, creativeSarah Atwood, writerTaylor Blanton, writerVivian Buchanan, writerIsabella Dawis, writerAlexandra Gilliam, writerNesligül Kaya, writerJonas Tarm, photographerNick Tisherman, writer Liz Tobias, writerTong Wang, illustrator/writerElizabeth Wendt, writerFrankie Yu, writer
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