First Deerfield Academy Faculty Concert

On Friday, September 22, members of the Deerfield music faculty performed in the Academy’s first faculty concert. It was the first time many of the music faculty have been able to showcase their artistic talent and collaborate professionally with each other since the COVID-19 pandemic. The concert highlighted nine faculty members: Piano Studio Director Yu-Mei Wei, Music Program Coordinator Sarah Swersey, Vocal Instructor Caitlin Felsman Pfitzer, Director of Music Thomas Bergeron, Woodwinds Instructor Bruce Krasin, Guitar Instructor Peter Trias, Jazz Piano Instructor Stephen Page, Bass Instructor Jamie MacDonald, and Percussions Instructor Gary Rzab.

Mr. Bergeron, who helped organize the concert, recognized that his colleagues possess incredible musical talents, but had never had the opportunity to share them with the broader school community. He started the concert for faculty collaboration and learning and for students to see their instructors perform.

The concert began with Ms. Swersey and Ms. Wei’s performance of contemporary composer Eric Ewazen’s Sonata No.1 for Flute and Piano. Ms. Swersey described the first movement as a “swirling Allegro, tuneful and exciting,” with an uplifting piano accompaniment, with the second movement “exploring a delicate and beautiful sound of the flute,” and the third movement ending with an “exhilarating yet playful motive.” Despite the piece being a duet, both performers practiced alone all summer, having received the music at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Since the beginning of the fall term, they have rehearsed rigorously two to three times every week.

Regarding the selection process behind their performance, Ms. Swersey shared that she chose the repertoire because of her past mentor, composer Eric Ewazen, who was her ear training instructor at the Juilliard Pre-College Program. Ms. Wei expressed her appreciation for the selected pieces in that she learned three new sets of not widely played repertoire, which are different from most pieces in her traditional songs. Due to the lack of recordings online, Ms. Swersey said they are “planning to make [their] own recording and publish it on YouTube.”

The subsequent performance by Ms. Felsman featured a set of eight unpublished Portuguese songs by Antonio Fragoso, three Spanish songs by José María Vitier, and a French song, Pourquoi, by Olivier Messiaen with the Jazz ensemble. Although, traditionally, classical songs are in Italian, French, or German, she unconventionally chose to sing in Spanish and Portuguese. She said she was “interested in song cycles that do not get performed as often but have really interesting melodies and harmonies.” The search landed her on a set of eight unpublished Portuguese songs by Antonio Fragoso that are less well known due to his early passing.

The concert’s closing number showcased the jazz ensemble: Mr. Bergeron on trumpet, Mr. Krasin on woodwinds, Mr. Trias on guitar, Mr. MacDonald on the double bass, and Mr. Rzab on percussion. The set consisted of five jazz pieces, two of which Mr. Bergeron arranged. The second song, Strasbourg / St. Denis, featured solos by Mr. Bergeron and Mr. MacDonald.

Music students and audience members alike enjoyed the performance, as noted by Andy Chen ‘25, a piano student of Ms. Wei’s, who highlighted his admiration for her skill and ability to prepare numerous pieces within a short time. Chen said, “Ms. Wei is so much busier than any of us here, yet she can play so many pieces. She has definitely inspired me to work harder.”

Not only have the instructors impacted students, but they also gained more experience by collaborating professionally with each other. Referring to her fellow faculty members, Ms. Wei said, “I learned a lot from them, including how to prepare for performances and more about their personalities through playing together.”

Although many of the faculty members were friends, they had previously not had the opportunity to play together, and the faculty concert offered them a chance to perform together and teach one another their technique and artistry. For example, Ms. Felsman noted that working with Ms. Wei gave her “new ideas about how the piano works with the voice” and developed more in the song where poetry changes in harmony.

The historical premiere faculty concert at Deerfield is the first but not the last. Mr. Trias expressed hope for more faculty concerts, saying, “this is only a taste of what it’s like to be put on. When we do it again next year, it’ll be even better.”