University of Connecticut student Julia Kaliszewski put on a show-stopping performance in a solo saxophone recital (titled “JOY”) at von der Mehden Recital Hall this week. Starting at 8 p.m. on Oct. 22 and lasting for about an hour and a half, Kaliszewski soloed her way through four different pieces, each more spellbinding than the last.
Kaliszewski kicked off the recital with a performance of “Solace: A Lyric Concerto” by Joel Love. “Solace” consists of five separate movements, titled “Joy,” “Besieged,” “Gratitude,” “Hiding” and “Work.” Accompanied by pianist Elisabeth Tomczyk — who is described as a “sought-after collaborator and chamber musician” by the event’s program, having learned the piano at just three years old — Kaliszewski took the audience through a journey of mood and moment, each individual movement having its own characteristic sound.
It’s clear that Kaliszewski is easily having the best time out of anyone in the room. In her deep blue suit, alto saxophone in hand, Kaliszewski moves and sways to the music, each note punching exactly as it should. She uses a foot pedal to flip through pages of sheet music on an iPad, yet her music remains fluid and emotional.
“That’s probably one of, if not the hardest piece that I’ve ever played,” Kaliszewski said when discussing “Solace,” which she had named her favorite out of the four pieces she performed. “Just each movement had a different challenge to it, that was really hard. And it was so fun.”
“Solace” was followed by the unique and striking “Grab It!” by Jacob Ter Veldhuis, also known as JacobTV. Performing with the lower-voiced tenor saxophone, Kaliszewski was accompanied not by Tomczyk’s piano, but instead by JacobTV’s arrangement of audio clips from the voices of life-sentenced prisoners. It’s ultimately a battle between the tenor and the human voice, which complement one another perfectly.
After a brief intermission, Kaliszewski returned to the alto saxophone to play “Lou Cabridan,” the fifth movement of Paule Maurice’s “Tableaux de Provence.” Originated from France, it’s meant to musically depict the great Cabridan bumblebee creature as he shuffles through Provence before fleeing.
Notably, “Lou Cabridan” was a part of Kaliszewski’s very first jury in her freshman year — a jury being a performance for faculty that essentially functions as an exam or an evaluation of skill. “I like to think I have completely transformed as a player in these last five years,” Kaliszewski had written in the program, “and I hope now I can do the piece justice.”
Finally, Kaliszewski landed on “Concerto for the Alto Saxophone” by Paul Creston, with movements “Energetic,” “Meditative” and “Rhythmic.” Each movement sounded exactly as Creston had described when naming them. Upon finishing the piece, Kaliszewski bowed, and the night ended.
I like to think I have completely transformed as a player in these last five years
Julia Kaliszewski, UConn Senior Student
Kaliszewski is in her ninth semester at UConn, having added the extra year to finally fulfill the long list of requirements that come with being a communications and music performance double major. She specializes in saxophone, performing as a soprano saxophone for UConn’s saxophone quartet. She also is the saxophone section leader for the UConn Wind Ensemble, student manager for the UConn Pep Band and coach for UConn’s Rhombus Saxophone Quartet.
Kaliszewski began playing the saxophone in the fourth grade. “I actually didn’t love it until high school,” she said in an interview with The Daily Campus. “I wanted to quit band before I got to high school, but I stuck with it, thank God. Now it’s my favorite thing that I do. I’m probably going to go get my master’s in music performance when I graduate.”
However, a master’s in music performance wasn’t originally in Kaliszewski’s plans. Even when she wrote the program for the event, she noted that she anticipated getting a job in the communications field. “This is the last year I really get to focus on music,” she had written. Her attitude would soon change.
“I still might do that,” Kaliszewski said. “But right now, my plan is to get a master’s in music before I do that because I’ve realized — because of doing this recital and preparing this, and knowing this is my last year here, that, like … I love it too much to stop it now.”
Although this wasn’t her first solo performance, Kaliszewski felt a special connection to “JOY” in particular. “One of my biggest struggles with music, since I’ve been a freshman — it’s something I’ve worked on a lot — is nerves, and the mental side of it,” she admitted. “Because I could be so prepared, but a couple of years ago, my nerves totally got to me. And I wouldn’t be able to perform at my best, and I couldn’t enjoy performances because I was just terrified of messing up the entire time.”
“But last night … I wasn’t nervous. I was having the time of my life. I was very, very proud of myself for being able to do that.”
Kaliszewski also took note of the incredible work of her saxophone instructor, Greg Case. According to his page on the UConn website, he teaches applied study in both classical and jazz saxophone, as well as teaching UConn’s saxophone quartet. He recently retired as co-principal saxophonist of the United States Coast Guard Band, after about 20 years of membership.
“Greg, he’s … it’s hard to even describe how good of a teacher he is,” Kaliszewski said. She took note of Case’s positivity and support as her teacher, as well as ability to adapt to the way students learn. “He is so positive; he never makes me feel bad for making a mistake or anything. It’s the most uplifting teaching style without being too unrealistic. And he has very high expectations, but in the best way.”
I mean, only so many things can be put into words. And so, playing music, and being really emotive with it, is a release that personally, I don’t feel from anything else besides playing saxophone. And it’s — it’s the best feeling
Julia Kaliszewski, UConn Senior Student
Kaliszewski has an hour-long lesson with Case every week, but her studies are far from over. Kaliszewski estimated she practices around five hours per day, between preparing for her recital, practicing fundamentals and working with UConn’s saxophone quartet.
“It’s a way of releasing my emotions that I don’t get from anything else,” Kaliszewski said when discussing her relationship with the saxophone. “I mean, only so many things can be put into words. And so, playing music, and being really emotive with it, is a release that personally, I don’t feel from anything else besides playing saxophone. And it’s — it’s the best feeling.”
During the recital itself, between pieces, Kaliszewski had taken the time to talk about how “music is meant to be shared with other people.” When asked to elaborate, she noted how a lot of her practice time is spent by herself. “But it’s so much more meaningful to be able to share that with other people,” she said. “I knew a lot of people there — a lot of my family, friends from home, friends from here. There’s literally nothing like being able to share all that hard work, and all the energy and time and emotions that went into preparing all that music.”
Although “JOY” is Kaliszewski’s only planned recital for the year, she will be returning to von der Mehden Recital Hall very soon as the soprano saxophone player for the UConn Saxophone Quartet. Their performance begins at 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Tickets are free for seniors, military, UConn students, faculty and staff and $10 for all other attendants.