EL PROJECT

A Master Project is annouced in urgency to help NHI PHUONG DO “express” a little more, and “lead” much more.

THE ARTISTIC CORE of “EL PROJECT” is intended to help candidates to Express, and Lead much more. Through the way of performing: to build a stand out artist who is going to leave some mark in this life, showing their uniqueness in expressing different characters, exploring new techniques, introducing their music taste to the world, and a great leader whom many people want to follow and work with.

The idea to do research for this project starts with the only simple wish of my whole life, is to be recognized as an artist who touches the hearts of thousands. And I wanted to approach people from as many ways. Miyamoto Musashi, famous Japanese philosopher, said in his A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy: “You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain”. The one thing that I always knew about myself, whatever I do, I am always a natural leader, and I can always surprise people with my limitlessness. And so, this project is an opportunity for me to reveal more of my unlimited strengths.

The expectation I set on this project is to try new ideas, get out of my comfort zone with new contemporary music, working with the composer to deeply understand their ideas and visions, working with other people as a leader through playing chamber music and orchestra settings without conductor, and combining heavier solo parts. And at the same time, improving my skills to become a stronger and a more experienced artist. There are several musical jobs identified with violinists, which are inspired to take in and can be seen in the project, such as soloist, freelancer, concertmaster, group leader. Or simply a tutti player, but since playing without the conductor, one must actively play their role in which they are taking responsibility.

CONTEXT

The new contributions: The EL PROJECT is able to meet the academic’s research field on the technique and performance skills, relevant for subjects or fields such as chamber music, orchestra music, and solo performances. New contribution to contemporary music and the composer department by working together to find out the best results on the instrument presentation. Even though the repertoire in the project is classical and contemporary music, the major context is using the music to further understand yourself, working with people, and focusing on the way of performing music – which may apply to as many who see themselves as artists, in daily performances and the realistic experience in one’s musical life. To be able to bring out the most effective and interesting performance that drives the audience, one must first come to understand deeply who they are, use the repertoire to show their strength, and be motivated to improve their weakness through the process of learning a new piece. The project will also be useful for the composer department, to experience how their work will be performed under the artist’s perspective.

Any project, direction or discipline to do with classical music performance will be able to constitute the project’s context. Especially since communication plays an important role in the project, discovering things about yourself, and working with others. From a small chamber group to larger orchestra setting, performance as a soloist, working and collaborating with modern composers. Those activities have been going on for as many centuries, and are believed to be continued toward the future positively, with new philosophical approaches and generational development.

In the socio-cultural context, the project places itselves as a usual chamber music project week which can be seen hosted by either freelancers or orchestra department. With an up to date modern method to approach the project, combining the traditional culture and academic rules on preparing yourself to work in professional orchestra departments.

METHOD

Even when the project contains two major forms as chamber music and solo repertoire (plus working with the composer), personal work requires the same way to approach, before presenting yourself at the rehearsals in public.

Step 1: Personal work and preparations:

Be well prepared. Start practicing as soon as you get the music to prepare. (“It is never too early to start preparing something” - Elise Båtnes told me so)

Getting to know the composer (if alive), or do historical research: personal background, political and environment influences, time period, philosophy and values, their intention, throwback music history.

• Know the piece well so you can lead (like how the conductor has to know the score by heart to conduct and inspire their musicians)

• Listen to different recordings to hear the balance, but do not play like a copycat. It is the main point of this project: to understand yourself, understand the music and bring out your unique ideas. Source: Google, YouTube interviews and recordings, Spotify. With Rune Rebne’s work Solosooadee, since I am going to premiere the piece, I asked to listen to his computer demo to see the big pictures, correct any wrong interpretation I missed during my preparation.

• Decide your style and which way you are going to perform the piece from the beginning, you will never get lost in confusion.

• Analyze the music’s structure, plan musical direction, mental prepare, read the articulations and notation in the piece carefully (during practice). Always a good question to ask yourself: How many hours in total do I need to completely master this music? Divide the time to practice productively, and remember to take breaks. The muscles and brain magically learn the memories in the break, and our sleep.

• Give enough time and effort to solve the difficult passages. Musical direction decides how you use technical solutions.

• Record your play, because sometimes we cannot feel how we actually play.

• You don’t really need motivation. It is important how you keep up your discipline. Practice on the days you don’t feel like it. Because the performance needs to be mature. Be patient. Development can be slow, but in control, and stable. Hard work always pays off with good charisma.

• “Practicing karaoke” - which is playing together with recordings. You are likely less feeling shocked when coming to the first rehearsal and being distracted with the other parts happening with you. Practicing with recording helps to prepare at not making mistakes, such as miss counting the bars, dynamic, tempo change, etc.s

• Private lessons. My personal choice for this project is professor Elise Båtnes. After the lesson, continue to develop the ideas you receive from the class. Ask for help from the most suitable coach to yourself, you see the path to your goals clearer. It is helpful playing for your coach, because sometimes we don’t manage to see our bad habits when we feel comfortable with ourselves. The smallest details can remove us from perfection. Truth is the shortest way to development. I asked my coach to always be honest with me. Comfort is very dangerous. You see what needs to develop when you manage to see the root cause of the problem.

• “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” - Pablo Picasso.

Step 2: Public meetings, as known as Rehearsals

1. Solo contemporary music: Selected repertoire:

Both EL PROJECT and Exam: Rune Rebne, Solosooadee. *Based on “Ssadee” (2004)

• Private lesson.

2. Solo with Chamber/Orchestra music setting: Selected repertoire:

EL PROJECT: Felix Mendelssohn, String Octet Op.20. Duration: 34 minutes

Exam: W.A. Mozart, Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K.364/320d (Duration: 30 min)

• Set healthy boundaries from the beginning: Performance at high level, enthusiasm, respect and learn from each other’s experience.

• Everybody is well prepared, so we can work on as many ideas as possible.

• My concept is to play through the piece at the very first rehearsal, to get a big picture of the piece, and get to know each other. Then work on details to develop the piece.

• Manage to speak your idea, style, musical directions. Specific on the sound produced, build characters. Making contrast, transparency, dynamic. Focus on sound balance. Correcting ensemble details that helps people play more in tune and together.

• Knowing clearly when to lead, and when to support the group. Most important: trust your friends. If you don’t trust, then why hire people.

• Enjoy.

PROJECT ORGANIZATION

This project is a master research project whose topic and concept is chosen by candidate Nhi Phuong Do, and self-organized to meet the tasks which follow the study program “Master of Music Performance”, at the Norwegian Academy of Music.

Resources for the project majorly available at the institution, such as coaching, venues, social artist connections, music library, recording materials and equipment for documentations.

Participants:

Master forum coach leader: Isabelle Perrin

Tutors/coaches: professor Elise Båtnes, and professor Rune Rebne

Musicians: Students at NMH, and freelancer connections participating at the project and exam.

Producer, Sound engineer, Graphic design, Social media announce: Nhi Phuong Do

Backstage assistance: Offered by NMH, available at Concert venue.

Outreach and Events Production: Christopher Straume

Library and IT department at NMH

ACTIVITY PLANS

Schedule for Rune Rebne, Solosooadee

Lesson March 11, 2022: from 11:00 to 12:30, rearrange the piece.

Perform at Klassetime (recording on 6th, April, 2022) from 13:00 to 15:00.

Exam 15^th^ June, at 15:00 in Lindemansalen.

Schedule for Mendelssohn, String Octet Op.20

Fri, MAR 11, tutti 1430 to 1700: Bevegelse room 025

Sat, MAR 12, tutti 1745 to 2045: U1018 Kammersalen 1

Sun, MAR 13, tutti 1745 to 2045: U1018 Kammersalen 1

Thu, MAR 17, tutti 1430 to 1600: 01008 Seminar room

Sat, MAR 19: GP kl.18, Konsert kl.19, Lindemansalen

Schedule for Mozart, Sinfonia concertante

Private lessons with Elise Båtnes, 2 days rehearsals with orchestra: To be announced

Exam 15^th^ June, at 15:00 in Lindemansalen.

DISSEMINATION AND PUBLICATION

Rune Rebne, Solosooadee:

In the original version, the piece is written for a string quartet. When I confessed this project to professor Rune, he rearranged the piece for quartet and added a solo violin part for me to perform. But due to the difficulties of finding musicians to perform with, the project had to be delayed, rearranged to a solo performance. I work with the score first to see what I can take to re-create a solo version, then I bring the piece to Rune and we work together. I respect and follow Rune’s wish to play the core solo part as close as possible, adding several ideas and techniques on the violin instrument to add more difficulties to the work. We also change the tempo to faster on the solo version, creating a more intense atmosphere when playing alone, compared to the original solo violin with a string quartet version.

Professor Rune doesn’t play violin, so his piece turns out to be exceptionally difficult, requiring much of the player’s ability to analyze modern music concepts, and transfer the ideas from the score to create different characters that the violin instrument naturally has. The piece requires at least 10 hours of total practicing for a professional level musician to at least be able to play the piece, due to the intensity of switching beats. The challenge I have to meet in this music is to solve the techniques into natural motions that apply to rhythm. When I get to know and memorize the piece, I can freely express and do more on the musical ideas. The piece is complex with beat changing, timing calculation, and a free structure. There used to be several parts that were impossible to play (when the piece was still originally a quartet form), I have asked Rune to rearrange the order of the notes, so it’s playable on the violin, respectfully retaining his original harmonies, ideas, and structures.

When a piece is newly written and you are the first person to commission, it’s challenging to use all your knowledge, skills, and personal taste to set the standard. Nowadays composers write music digitally, so it is always possible to ask for the music demo and it helps to hear their ideas. The demo is not always the greatest performance recording, but it always shows a better shape, compact rhythm and exact dynamic change. When you perform, you can add more timing, by using your intuition.

Specific plans have made for documentation and publication:

Difficulties rank: I would consider the piece 7/10 on the level to perform throughout music history. The piece is not the hardest on the technique side. But since it is written in a free structure, to shape the idea of the piece, it requires a decent analyzing skill, exact rhythmical change, and intuitive timing on the freer passages. Artistically, the piece requires immense calculation at sound control, intensely focused with the constant beat change. There are enough hidden details to explore and do creative ideas. Intonation is easy to get out of tune.

Recording: I have made an audio recording version and contributed to Rune Rebne, so he can use it for his personal documentation, and CD. The audio version is available on SoundCloud, account violininhi for people to explore my contents. Video recording:

Performance: Rune Rebne contributed the piece to me. I will continue to perform the piece at suitable occasions (concerts, events, recordings, etc.)

Mendelssohn, String Octet Op.20:

Musicians are required to be well prepared, and respect each other. People are encouraged to express their ideas to help build the project with honesty. We keep a harmonious atmosphere, productive, and effective in musical development. This is a very important factor that can build up a strong community, and musicians want to work with each other for the long term. Recording of the performance:

CHALLENGES AND RISK ASSESSMENTS TO MEET:

• Strong and convincing presentation on the high level, applying to both solo repertoire with chamber music. Adapt to changes during commissioning to a new written modern music by (alive) composers, explore and bring out the better ways to perform the music. Finding out new techniques, new styles, and music age up to date. Freely express your talent and musical ideas in the repertoire, and create the most unique and unexpected style that has never been heard before.

• Being able to analyze, solve and perform the expected repertoire.

• Being interesting to the audience with the most natural presentation. The artist must feel free being themselves while connecting to the work and connecting the music to the audience.

• Musical aesthetic, understand who you are deeply.

• Leading a chamber rehearsal (or an orchestra as a concertmaster role, without the conductor). Working as a group, communication skills, and discussions.

• Setting healthy boundaries to maintain the companies in a high level music performance, and healthy working environment.

• Organize events, contacting artists, hosting, solving artistic problems.

REFERENCES:

Music Editions:

Mendelssohn, String Octet: Peter Edition. IMSLP free download.

Mozart, Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K.364/320d: to be announced

Rune Rebne publishes and owns copyright to "Solosooadee". Dedicated to Nhi Phuong Do.

SPONSORS:

The Norwegian Academy of Music offers their financial support and prioritizes all the venues for the students when booking at the institution, and offers coaching hours. All the rehearsals, lessons, concerts and exams are happening at the building.

Recording equipment, and concert promotion: offered by NMH

Room booking program: Time Edit by NMH, and NMH’s booking systems.

No sponsors or third parties advertise/companies involved to support the artist’s payment.