School of Music students are "popping up" in the community via an ongoing series of performances in community venues that have been received with enthusiasm and appreciation by audiences across the city.
In a pop-up concert on February 28, UW music students provided comfort and enrichment to patients and loved ones at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Students from the saxophone studio of Michael Brockman performed in the hospital cafeteria for patients, families, and staff, and over live Zoom for other wings of the hospital who could not attend. The students engaged the audience by sharing about their instruments, the pieces they played, and their lives as student musicians.
The performance was the latest in a series of one-off community concerts by UW music students, organized by Rylan Virnig, the School of Music outreach and admissions director, under the leadership of School of Music acting director Joël-François Durand.
“This concert series is valuable as it enhances visibility for the UW School of Music, generates excitement among students, staff, and community members about our programs, and, most importantly, provides an opportunity for students to share their music with the greater Seattle area,” Virnig says.
Previous pop-up concert venues include the Burke Museum, UW Health Sciences Center, and University House Wallingford, showcasing a diverse array of ensembles, such as guitar students from Michael Partington’s studio, the UW Brass Quintet, and School of Music faculty.
A performance last November 21 at the Mirabella retirement community by UW piano students drew more than 100 attendees. “Many people told me how ecstatic they were about the collaboration,” Virnig says, “and expressed that they hoped it will happen again.” Plans for future performances in various venues, he indicated, are in the works, and will be announced at a later date.
UW Music students perform at the Burke Museum in 2024 as part of the UW's Admitted Students Preview Day (Photo: Rylan Virnig).