Irene Koc receives the Adell Williams Award from Music Educators Association of New Jersey

Post date: Oct 15, 2009 6:11:22 AM

Irene Koc receives the Adell Williams Award (3rd time) from Music Educators Association of New Jersey and has a master class with Dr. Kaplinsky in June 2015:

MEA members filled the Chase Room at the Madison Library to hear Dr. Kaplinsky, chair of The Juilliard School piano department, coach four talented "Young Artists." For more about Dr. Kaplinsky's impressive career click here. Dr. Kaplinsky began with a heartwarming tribute to music teachers, emphasizing the importance and significance of their work.

First, Irene Koc, pupil of Julia Lam, performed Études-Tableaux, Opus 33, No. 2 and No. 6, by Rachmaninoff. Her expressiveness and fluidity belied their difficulty. Dr. Kaplinsky posed this question: "What is the biggest challenge? Music is all about character." Character governs interpretation. To help discover that character, examine the score and ask why a composer chose a particular melodic or harmonic feature.

The essential nature of Étude No. 2 is an expressive dialogue between female and male voices above a patterned accompaniment. The character of the soprano, with its unusual opening melodic leap, is very poignant, while the lower voice seems more pressing and insistent. The busy accompaniment cannot overwhelm their "conversation."

Dr. Kaplinsky recommended isolating each element in the piece. Then listen. Where is the melody going? To produce a rich tone without percussive sound, transfer weight to the finger and slow the descent of the key. Link the melody tones in a continuous line, and think of dynamic indications as being on a continuum, not at preset levels. Dr. Kaplinsky remarked that the notes in the persistent left hand figure are not of equal importance. Hear the rhythm expressed only by the thumb, and, linking weak to strong counts, keep the pulse elastic.

In the Étude Opus 33 No. 6, the character is explosive. Opening with subdued dyads, non allegro, it bursts, presto, into frenetic fast right hand triplets suffused with chromaticism, over a leaping bass of single tones, imposing octaves, or jumping chords, only to subside at the end, pianissimo. The pianist strives to maintain this frenzy with dynamic shaping of phrasing, strategic pedaling, and precise articulation.

After her fine performances, Irene Koc said that she appreciated Dr. Kaplinsky's good, precise, and intricate explanations, her straightforward, direct manner, and her passion for coaching.

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