Spring Break
Kaminsky kicks off year at VDM
Eric Nigosanti
Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: Focus
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Luckily for the audience, this was just one of many great performances of the evening. The program was put together by Kaminsky and acted as the kickoff performance of the year for von der Mehden.
The songs played had a variety of performers ranging from UConn graduate and undergraduate students, to friends of Kaminsky, who served as the anchor performer in each piece.
In a few pieces by Schubert, Kaminsky even went solo on the piano.
Even though some of the evening's selections had morbid overtones in minor keys, the performance had a happier purpose. In the lobby of the recital hall, donations were being collected to help support the Windham Region "No Freeze Project, Inc.," which provides shelter for the homeless in the winter months. In theme with the charity, Kaminsky gave a short pass on the classical music and performed Bob Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm" providing a unique arrangement. In addition to him playing guitar, Kaminsky added a flute, clarinet, viola and cello with Erika Beckwith, a 6th-semester vocal performance major, on vocals to what originally was a very minimalist piece. About halfway through the song, when each instrument started playing at the same time, the clash of sound between the strings and woodwinds produced a sort of 'storm' effect.
Another folk song performed on the evening was Joni Mitchell's famous "Woodstock," which kept things simple with just Kaminsky on piano and Beckwith again on vocals. These two pieces proved to be a hit with the audience.
"I thought it was all great and really enjoyed myself. My favorite parts were the solo piano pieces and the folk music, said," Yan Xu, a graduate student studying electrical engineering.
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