Author: Leanne Zabala
In Bird Studio last Thursday evening, Music Professor Andre Myers shared his original works with students and professors, displaying his unique and creative ability to mix musical genres.
As everyone looked over their pamphlets and turned in their chairs to talk before the concert, it was clear that no one knew what Myers had in store for them that evening.
Myers began his recital, titled “My Whole Fire,” with a mini lecture of what he was trying to achieve through his performances. He noted that he was taking genres of music that came from very different places stylistically, attempting to bridge the divide between contemporary and classical music.
“I’m not trying to be cool. That’s not what this is about,” Myers said.
Myers compared his composition to unpolished wood, saying he hoped to create a rough-hewn sound out of music as an art form. He emphasized that within the lyrics of his pieces, one could find multiple meanings within a single song, sentence or even word.
“This concert is for writers, for folks who wonder and struggle with words, pitch […] and subject matter to create something meaningful,” Myers said.
Myers stressed the use of parallel fifths in his music, which are typically avoided in classical music because of the unpleasant sound they produce. However, he demonstrated his mastery of music theory by employing parallel fifths to create a sense of emerging struggle in his composition.
His first two pieces, “Maps” and “Try Harder”, featured the vocals of voice instructor Scott Blois, while Myers accompanied on piano. As they performed, the room grew quiet and still. One audience member was so moved by the first two songs that it brought her to tears.
The next song was called “Open the Gates,” and featured Robert Gupta on violin, David Garrett on cello, and Myers once again on piano. Each musician played brilliantly. None of the instrumental melodies were dull or repetitive, but instead were lively and fast-paced, with surprising short pauses in between.
The program only got better throughout the evening as Myers’ next song, entitled “Reach Out/Breathe In”, involved Myers rapping over a piano accompaniment. Then he introduced bassist Joel Hamilton and drummer Jamey Tate to accompany him during his next two songs, which he described as reveries and “shout-outs” to his Ann Arbor home.
“Being more into classical music, I thought it was very compelling and I like that he gets into his music,” Calvin Lesko (first-year) said. “He doesn’t worry about the genre of music and is able to break boundaries.”
The last song definitely lit the room on fire. Myers stood up and rapped to the hip-hop beat produced by Sam Wilkes (first-year). Myers’ lyrics were powerful and his rapping was better than that of your average professor. He took a risk combining classical music with hip-hop, but according to the reaction of the crowd, it paid off.
“It was a great, versatile program. I definitely had no idea that he was going to get up there and rap. I think we need more professors like that,” Brian Flynn (junior) said.
“Tremendous and extremely honest. I loved every second of it,” Dylan McCalmont (junior) said.
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