On the Road with Joanne Robinson: Show 261 Boston, MA

October was a busy, but wonderfully energizing, month. The weekend after our Troy, New York, show, we were back at our home base, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston for a taping that featured a diversity of kids who expressed all sorts of new ways of looking at things.

For instance, 18-year-old recorder aficionado Bryan Duerfeldt  proved without a doubt that the recorder wasn’t just an instrument for elementary school classrooms! He talked about the perceptions people have about the instrument, and not only performed a gorgeous baroque piece, but also a contemporary jazz piece. Something that didn’t make it into the show was that, in part of the jazz piece, Bryan played two recorders at the same time! It was totally unexpected and cool, and of course, I made sure to catch it on video. Make sure to check our website when the show goes live to see him in action.

Another young musician whose story struck me was William Su, a teenage baritone originally from Beijing. He talked about having been kicked out of his school choir in China because his loud, low voice didn’t blend well with the others. This experience, while initially crushing, eventually led him to attend Walnut Hill School for the Arts, where his outstanding voice is now being appreciated and nurtured.

15-year-old Pianist Vanessa Haynes gorgeously performed the third movement of Beethoven’s “Appasionata” Sonata and then entertainingly went head to head with Chris O’Riley in a game of identifying film scores, and 13-year-old Sebastian Stoger, with his wonderfully infectious smile, performed Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo Capriccioso.

At the close of the show we were introduced to perhaps the teeniest musician who we’ve ever featured – 9-year-old violinist Elizabeth Aioki who played Sarasate’s Introduction and Tarantelle. She played it on a quarter-sized violin, but you would never know it by the huge sound!

Check out the sneak peek below, and make sure to tune in when this show is broadcast in mid-December.

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