Music Student Theses: William Fishell '21 and Elijah Quastler '21

The performances take place Saturday, Nov. 6, at 7 and 8:30 p.m. in Buckley Recital Hall in the Arms Music Center. The concert is FREE and open to those in the Amherst College testing pool; seating is by general admission. For those unable to attend in person, we recommend tuning in to the FREE Music Department Event Livestream: amherst.edu/go/musicstream

7 p.m.: Vertigo, by William Fishell '22E
The technological advancements of the 20th century have given composers new tools with which to create music. From the Beatles’ use of the Mellotron on "Strawberry Fields Forever" to Public Enemy’s use of the SP1200 on It Takes a Nation of Millions..., new technologies have changed the soundscapes of all genres. What happens when new technologies are used in the composition process itself? Vertigo is a composition thesis that attempts to explore this question. Vertigo uses Long Short Term Memory neural networks to create melodic and harmonic ideas as points of inspiration throughout the composition process, while also blending different genres such as salsa and hip-hop, and influences from composers like Wayne Shorter and Claude Debussy.

Performers:
MC: Kiiren Aamer
Vocalist: Diana Daniels
Flute: Robin Kong
Trumpet: William Fishell
Tenor Saxophone: Dean Gordon
Trombone: Connor Barnes
Piano: Matthew Mueller
Bass: Anna Dietrich
Drumset: Camuel Hart
Violin 1: Hannah Kim
Violin 2: Hasun Noh
Viola: Grace Geeganage
Cello: Liam Tanglao

PROGRAM:
"Lights": Robin Kong, William Fishell, Dean Gordon, Connor Barnes, Matthew Mueller, Anna Dietrich, Camuel Hart, Hannah Kim, Hasun Noh, Grace Geeganage, Liam Tanglao

"City Streets": Robin Kong, William Fishell, Dean Gordon, Connor Barnes, Matthew Mueller, Anna Dietrich, Camuel Hart

"Woland’s Ball": Robin Kong, William Fishell, Dean Gordon, Connor Barnes, Matthew Mueller, Anna Dietrich, Camuel Hart

"Ennadai": William Fishell, Dean Gordon, Connor Barnes, Matthew Mueller, Anna Dietrich, Camuel Hart

"A Song For Lori": Robin Kong, William Fishell, Dean Gordon, Connor Barnes, Matthew Mueller, Anna Dietrich, Camuel Hart

"Don’t Wanna Leave": Diana Daniels, Kiiren Aamer,Robin Kong, William Fishell, Dean Gordon, Connor Barnes, Matthew Mueller, Anna Dietrich, Camuel Hart

8:30 p.m. The Antidote Is Optimism, by Eli Quastler
Eli’s work is the culmination of over a year of songwriting and arranging that explores various facets of his life since the coronavirus pandemic began. Eli chooses to take a positive, optimistic approach to life through his music: the lyrics are uplifting, and the music is upbeat and fun to listen to. He blends pop-inspired lyrics with jazz-and-funk-inspired harmony and arrangement in his nine-song live album premiere. He hopes it will be easy to dance or sing along to his joy-filled music, and that it will be accessible to all listeners, regardless of musical preference.

PROGRAM:
"Introduction"
"Michael"
"Be Careful What You Wish For"
"Home"
"Rollerblade"
"2009 Sedona"
"Simply Who Speaks First"
"Optimism"
"New Kid in Town"

PERFORMERS:
Emma Ratshin - Voice, Piano
Dean Gordon - Tenor Saxophone
Masahiro Nishikawa - Trombone
Gabriel Proia - Trumpet
Eli Quastler - Guitar
Quentin Jeyaretnam - Bass
Adrian Friedman - Drums