Angela Mac
STAFF WRITER
Jacqueline Zhu, an Andover High School junior, composed and will conduct a piece titled “Waltz in D Minor.” It will be performed by the AHS orchestra on May 18 in the Collins Center.
Zhu, a cellist, wrote the waltz as an assignment for a private lesson outside of AHS. She said, “The overarching theme of the piece is the nostalgia of something you have never experienced before.”
Along with writing “Waltz in D Minor,” Zhu will conduct the piece. Zhu was brand new to conducting. In January, she was introduced to it by Dr. Derek Voigt, the orchestra director. As she took lessons with Voigt, she became more coordinated with the movements. Of being the one conducting instead of playing, Zhu said, “It feels exhilarating, kind of terrifying, but I’m also stoked.”
Jacqueline Zhu, a junior, playing the cello
Composing music for an orchestra is a first for Zhu. Also the ANDOVERVIEW copy editor, she has written pieces for other instruments in the past. When asked if composing music was difficult, she responded, “It was hard to form ideas, it’s kinda like having writer’s block.” Other challenges Zhu faced were creating the piece she envisioned and composing multiple parts for different instruments.
“Waltz in D Minor” is a modern waltz. Voigt said the “harmonies are rich, the rhythms are clear, and the parts are very approachable by any orchestra.” What makes the piece unique is its use of hemiolas, or three against two poly-rhythms. A hemiola is a rhythmic pattern in which three beats are superimposed over two beats. With hemiolas, there is the effect of a shift between triple and duple time, even though the time signature is not altered. “Waltz in D Minor” also includes interesting cadences and chords. Voigt describes Zhu’s piece as not quite somber, but it is rather dark in the beginning. When it changes keys, it gives the song an entirely different effect.
Camille Miner, an AHS senior and the concertmaster of the orchestra, finds “Waltz in D Minor” riveting. “I enjoy how it has a lot of light romantic themes however in a more modern sense,” Miner complimented. “It also reminds me a lot of Joe Hisaishi’s work” (Hisaishi is famous for his beloved collaborations with Studio Ghibli animation director Hayao Miyazaki). She also revealed that Zhu’s piece has a lot of 8va sections. 8va is an abbreviation of “at the octave”, and when written in music it indicates that the notes should be played one octave higher than written in the score.
Though Zhu has proved to be quite proficient in many aspects of music, she plans to pursue a major in botany or plant science in college. However, she may pursue music, such as composition, as a minor.
