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BY JOHN OH

In print | Published February 4, 2010

Every spring, the Swarthmore College Orchestra holds a concerto competition open to all Swarthmore students. While all seven concerto competitors stepped up to both the challenge and the jury that makes winning a reality, two Swarthmore students came out triumphant: Jenna McCreery ’10 will be playing the Lalo Cello Concerto in the spring of 2010, while Soren Larson ’11 will be playing the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto in the fall of 2010. The Swarthmore College Orchestra will accompany both.

The basic requirement for the Swarthmore concerto competition is to learn an entire musical piece involving a solo instrument, several chamber instruments, or simply voice. Contestants perform their chosen pieces before a panel of jurors, which typically include faculty members of the Swarthmore music department. Like any internationally renowned musician, the winner of the competition will be given the privilege of performing his or her chosen work alongside a full orchestra accompaniment.
“It continually amazes me that busy Swarthmore students, most of them not music majors, take the time to learn entire concerti and play them with great virtuosity and musicality,” Andrew Hauze, college orchestra conductor and competition juror, said. “We should applaud all seven of the winners for their dedication, but the rest of school will applaud again when McCreery and Larson step on stage to perform in the spring and fall of 2010.”

This spring, McCreery will perform the Lalo Cello Concerto, a romantic tour de force for the soloist, alongside the Swarthmore College Orchestra in a concert, which will also feature Dukas’ “Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” played in the Disney movie “Fantasia,” and the majestic Brahms Symphony No. 1. In fall 2010, Soren Larson will play his rendition of the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto, with other repertoire to be announced.

McCreery’s and Larson’s victories exemplify the dedication and time that they poured into honing their performance technique, musical finesse and interpretation. Despite their dedication to their musical endeavors, these two winners also have time for other equally impressive activities. Here is some information regarding this year’s winners.

Jenna McCreery ’10
McCreery studies with Yumi Kendall, assistant principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Jenna was introduced to the cello at age six by her mother, Kristine Fink McCreery, a Suzuki violin teacher. Soon after, Jenna began studying with her father, Carlton McCreery, until her high school graduation in 2006. While under her father’s tutelage, Jenna made her solo debut with the Hendersonville Symphony playing the Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto with her father. Jenna’s summers at the Brevard Music Festival gave her the experiences of instruction under Andres Diaz, David Salness, Roberto Diaz, William Prucil and the Miami String Quartet.

Jenna served two seasons with the National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado and was the orchestra’s assistant principal Cello in the summer of 2009.  She also gave a solo performance of the Fauré Elegie in NRO’s 2009 season. When visiting her home in Alabama, Jenna serves as a substitute for the Tuscaloosa Symphony, the Huntsville Symphony and the Tupelo Symphony. Jenna has served as principal cello of the Swarthmore College Orchestra since 2006. Current Major: linguistics major, music and psychology minor.

Soren Larson ’11
Larson started playing tenor saxophone in 5th grade and began playing alto saxophone in 10th grade.  He studied saxophone with Minnesota jazz saxophonist Greg Keel throughout high school.  He was selected for Minnesota’s All State Concert Band in 11th grade and Minnesota’s All State Jazz Band in 12th grade, both times on tenor saxophone.  In his first two years of Swarthmore, he studied with Charles Salinger on E♭ alto saxophone and this year he began studying with Swarthmore and New England Conservatory of Music alumnus Sam Lorber. He has played in Swarthmore’s jazz ensemble every semester since. Current Major: economics honors major, math and music minor

How long have you played your instrument?
McCreery: 15 years 
Larson: 11 years 

What piece did you choose to perform?
McCreery: It is French composer Éduard Lalo’s only cello concerto.  Increased compositions for solo cello in the nineteenth century, like the Lalo Cello Concerto, demanded more artistic expression and technical proficiency from cellists than ever before. 

Larson: The classical saxophone literature, perhaps unsurprisingly, is small.  Probably the most famous work that prominently features a solo saxophone is the second movement (called “The Old Castle”) of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Although a composition’s popular recognition shouldn’t be a metric of its quality, this anecdote might illustrate the limited nature of the solo classical saxophone repertoire.  When has anyone heard sax with G-strings anyway? The repertoire’s limited nature made choosing simpler.

Why did you choose this piece?
McCreery: I chose this concerto because it is one of my favorite works for solo cello.  The dramatic flare in the themes of the piece really complements my performance style.  This concerto has special meaning to me because it is the piece I was studying when I first came to Swarthmore.  I feel like performing it during my last semester here brings my Swarthmore experience full circle. 

Larson: I chose the Glazunov Concerto because it’s one of the best concertos in the small literature.  My teacher and Swat alum Sam Lorber paraphrases the words of his teacher, Kenneth Radnofsky: “the saxophone literature isn’t very good but the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto is the best we’ve got.” His teacher is probably right.  A majority of other works in the repertoire sound like, as my friend Corey Silberstein ’12 put it, “frivolous French film music.” The themes of these works are mellifluous but bite-size and ultimately forgettable.  The Glazunov Concerto, however, is remarkably Russian (i.e. romantic) and compelling.

What are you most excited about after winning the competition?
McCreery: I am excited to share my love of music as a soloist for the orchestra in which I have served for four years.  

Larson: I’m really excited about sharing with the Swarthmore Community that a literature exists for classical saxophone. The saxophone isn’t just for jazz, although not traditional classical music. I’m excited to share the uniqueness of it all.

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