By V\u00e1clav
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Walking into Paul Hall at The Juilliard School for the Ensemble Connect performance on March 19th, 2026, was both exciting and slightly intimidating because it was my first classical music concert. Since I had never been there before, everything felt new, from receiving the concert program at the entrance to finding my seat in an unfamiliar but professional environment. The venue was a comfortable size, nearly full, and filled with a mix of formally and casually dressed attendees, which balanced elegance and accessibility. The audience was a mix of ages but the majority appeared to be White and Asian, which made me more aware of being one of the few Black attendees in the room. The performer\u2019s formal black and white attire created a polished atmosphere. Although the staff were helpful and welcoming, I still felt somewhat out of place because I noticed that very few audience members looked like me racially. That awareness added to my nervousness, but my curiosity kept me open minded throughout the evening.
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As the concert began, Ensemble Connect, a Juilliard-based fellowship program that features emerging professional musicians, demonstrated professionalism that matched Juilliard\u2019s setting while making the experience engaging for a first-time listener like me. Their technical skill, coordination, and ability to shift between different musical styles made the performance emotionally accessible rather than distant. I was impressed by how different instruments could completely change the mood of a piece, from tense and chaotic to soft and deeply moving. Even without much speaking, the musicians communicated through their playing, shaping the audience\u2019s experience. Overall, their skill showed me that technical precision and emotional expression can work together to create a memorable experience.
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The concert opened with Gabriella Smith\u2019s Tessellations (2018), performed by Cameron Cullen (flute), Nicole Martin (clarinet), Grace O\u2019Connell (trumpet), Laurel Gagnon (violin), Abby Smith (viola), and Frankie Carr (cello). With the program describing Smith\u2019s style as energetic and exploratory, my initial reaction was confusion because the piece felt chaotic and unpredictable. The rapidly changing textures made it difficult to follow, as if I was constantly catching up. Despite the combination of instruments, the ensemble maintained balance, allowing each instrument to contribute to the chaos without overpowering the overall sound. Moreover, I began to notice a steady rhythmic pulse beneath the chaos. That contrast between disorder and stability became the most interesting part of the piece, it felt like carefully crafted emotional tension. The middle section stood out because it offered brief relief before returning to intensity. While it was not my favorite emotionally, I appreciated how it challenged my expectations and felt cinematic, like suspense film music .
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Emily Liushen\u2019s Paper Thin created an entirely different emotional experience and became one of my favorite performances of the night. Unlike the chaotic tension of Tessellations, this piece felt immediately intimate and deeply moving. Before the performance, Liushen introduced Paper Thin as a reflection on artificial intelligence, simplicity, and the limits of machine-generated music, creating a strong foundation before the performance. What impacted me most was the emotional power of the music itself. The softer subtler playing drew me in almost immediately. One of the most fascinating aspects was the bassoon, an instrument I had rarely seen in person before and played by Marty Tung. Its unique sound and appearance instantly caught my attention, and hearing it used so expressively added to the piece\u2019s emotional depth. At certain moments, the music felt sorrowful, but it was a beautiful sadness that made me unexpectedly emotional. Paper Thin changed my perspective on live classical music, showing me how instrumental music alone can communicate emotion so clearly. More than anything, it made me want to continue exploring unfamiliar music because it proved that something outside of my everyday listening habits could feel personal and unforgettable.
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V\u00e1clav Nelh\u00fdbel\u2019s Trio for Brass (1965) became one of the most surprising performances of the evening. Performed by Grace O\u2019Connell (trumpet), Will Sands (horn), and David Seder (trombone), Trio for Brass initially felt loud and overwhelming because of the powerful brass sound. At first, I was unsure how much I would enjoy it, but as the performance continued, my perspective changed. I became increasingly impressed by the musicians\u2019 breath control, stamina, and precision through constantly shifting musical sections. Music critic Niall O\u2019Loughlin describes Nelh\u00fdbel\u2019s brass works as having \u201cvariety in mood and feeling”1<\/a><\/sup>, which matched my experience as the piece moved through contrasting emotional and rhythmic changes. Some sections felt bold and dramatic, while others felt lighter and playful, reminding me of familiar sounds from cartoons of film music such as Tom and Jerry. Learning more about Nelh\u00fdbel\u2019s background as a Czech-American composer known for wind and brass music also helped me better appreciate his style and compositional strengths2<\/a><\/sup>. After revisiting the piece on YouTube, I found that my reaction remained similar, though hearing it live was far more immersive. Watching the musicians in person made their technical skill impressive, while the recording allowed me to notice structural details more clearly. Trio for Brass became one of the most memorable pieces for me because it transformed my expectations and showed me how dynamic and unexpectedly nostalgic brass could be. The final work, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\u2019s Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat Major, K. 452 (1784), was the piece I connected with the least. Although I respected the performer\u2019s skills and Mozart’s reputation, it felt less emotionally engaging than the earlier pieces. Compared to Paper Thin and Trio for Brass, it did not hold my attention as strongly. Still, hearing it live helped me better understand my own musical preferences and showed me that personal connection matters more than reputation alone. Overall, Ensembles Connect at Juilliard was an eye-opening experience that expanded my understanding of live classical music. Each piece offered something different, from chaos to emotional intimacy to unexpected energy. Even when I did not fully connect with the piece, the performer\u2019s professionalism kept the concert engaging. As a first time attendee, I left with a greater appreciation for classical music and a genuine interest in attending another concert in the future. I would definitely recommend this concert to anyone who is interested in broadening their musical taste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n James Boldin. (2014, February 24). Trio for Brass, V\u00e1clav Nelh\u00fdbel [Video]. YouTube. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LDtiIb-o25Y O’Loughlin, Niall. “Wind Ensemble.” Serenade for Nine Wind Instruments; Music for Harlequin, for Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion; Fantasy for Brass Quartet; Musik F\u00fcr Bl\u00e4serquintet; Burleske F\u00fcr Elf Bl\u00e4ser; Numismata for 7 Brass Instruments; Trio for Trumpet, Horn and Tromboneby Hugo Cole et al. The Musical Times, vol. 108, no. 1490, 1967, pp. 351-52. JSTOR, https:\/\/doi-org.bmcc.ezproxy.cuny.edu\/10.2307\/953910. Accessed 7 May 2026. Wikipedia contributors. (2025, October 10). V\u00e1clav Nelh\u00fdbel. Wikipedia. Endnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By V\u00e1clav Walking into Paul Hall at The Juilliard School for the Ensemble Connect performance on March 19th, 2026, was both exciting and slightly intimidating because it was my first classical music concert. Since I had never been there before, everything felt new, from receiving the concert program at the entrance to finding my seat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1142,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":"[{\"id\":\"d85d7167-7572-4151-a2e4-f58fed50e4f2\",\"content\":\"O'Loughlin, Niall. \\\"Wind Ensemble.\\\" Serenade for Nine Wind Instruments; Music for Harlequin, for Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion; Fantasy for Brass Quartet; Musik F\\u00fcr
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https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/V%C3%A1clav_Nelh%C3%BDbel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bl\u00e4serquintet; Burleske F\u00fcr Elf Bl\u00e4ser; Numismata for 7 Brass Instruments; Trio for
Trumpet, Horn and Tromboneby Hugo Cole et al. The Musical Times, vol. 108, no. 1490,
1967, pp. 351-52. JSTOR, https:\/\/doi-org.bmcc.ezproxy.cuny.edu\/10.2307\/953910. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/V%C3%A1clav_Nelh%C3%BDbel \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
Bl\\u00e4serquintet; Burleske F\\u00fcr Elf Bl\\u00e4ser; Numismata for 7 Brass Instruments; Trio for
Trumpet, Horn and Tromboneby Hugo Cole et al. The Musical Times, vol. 108, no. 1490,
1967, pp. 351-52. JSTOR, https:\\\/\\\/doi-org.bmcc.ezproxy.cuny.edu\\\/10.2307\\\/953910.\"},{\"id\":\"47477b4f-528a-4be2-bdd3-f47d20feaaba\",\"content\":\"Wikipedia contributors. (2025, October 10). V\\u00e1clav Nelh\\u00fdbel. Wikipedia.
https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/V%C3%A1clav_Nelh%C3%BDbel\"}]"},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-501","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-spring-2026","7":"czr-hentry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":536,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions\/536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/concerts-you-missed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}