Academic Decathlon Concert goes Latin

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Guitar soloist Mark Simons was feeling his music as he performed at the Kern County Academic Decathlon Concert.

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Soprano soloist Gretchen Anderson, backed by the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, gave a moving performance for the more than 100 high school teams in attendance.

Organizers of the Kern County Academic Decathlon Concert figure they had a pretty good measuring stick to judge how well it was received by approximately 100 high school teams from throughout California who attended the Oct. 22 concert at the Rabobank Convention Center in Bakersfield.

"They did not want to leave after the concert was over," said event organizer and Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ curriculum coordinator Kathleen White. "It was wonderful."

Latin American music is the theme nationally for this year’s Academic Decathlon, but the combination live concert and lecture to prepare for it has been a Bakersfield tradition for years. It helps high school students prepare for the music portion of regional Academic Decathlons which are held around the state in February. Sponsored by the Kern County Academic Decathlon Association, Kern County Superintendent of Schools and Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, the Kern County event is one of only a few around the state where students can hear the music performed in a live concert. That is why teams from as far away as Fresno to the north and Redlands to the southeast attended.

"I think it helps us understand the instruments that were used in a particular period and identify with the sounds they produce," said Jasmin Pannu, who came to the concert with her classmates from Fowler High School. "The lecturer makes us familiar with the rituals and that helps us gain more knowledge about history. It’s even visual with many of the musicians wearing the kind of clothing they would have worn back then." There was certainly plenty of that with the very first performance of South American Javier Yxayotl which featured feathered and plummed head dresses — stretching more than six feet in length.

That was followed up by the duo of YATIRI, featuring Martin Espino and Mario Torrico, creating a distinctive sound on ancient Andian panpipes with Yxayotl backing them up on a single drum hanging from a sling on his shoulder.

There was plenty of irony in the Latin American melodies and longtime music educator Jerome Kleinsasser made sure the audience knew why that was important to the history of music. Composers Manuel de Zumaya and Ignacio Jerusalem were good examples. Zumaya was born in Mexico City but his music was influenced by Italian techniques he learned in Europe, while Jerusalem, an Italian, moved to immerse himself in the music of Mexico City. Students heard illustrations from both performed by the Liberty High School Chorale directed by Michael McQuerry.

One of the largest and longest ovations of the day was reserved for the young Latin talent of Kern County’s Mariachi Reál de la Viña, which featured numerous violins, horns, guitars and guitar-like instruments, as well as combinations of solo and group vocalists. Kleinsasser pointed out that the style actually developed more than 100 years ago and became popular because of serenades pictured in photographs and movies.

Another interesting paradox was the performance of soprano soloist Gretchen Anderson. Kleinsasser gave Cuban-born Xavier Cugat credit for introducing percussion into the Latin sound, made popular today by such artists as Carlos Santana. Cugat also came up with the Cha-Cha, which Anderson illustrated vocally. Immediately after, the full Bakersfield Symphony came on stage to perform "Sensemayá," which Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas based on a poem about killing a tropical snake tied to voodoo. Kleinsasser advised the audience to pay attention to the strange structure of the melody much of which was derived from music of urban cultures featuring irregular meters of 7/8 beats mixed with 7/16. "If you are a musician you should be cringing to hear that," Kleinsasser said. Indeed, the music started out slow, eerie and suspenseful before building to a climactic finish.

Then, it was time for Anderson to show her versatility. Having already performed the bouncy Cha Cha of Cugat, Anderson was asked to take on Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’ "Aria" from "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." Villa-Lobos had moved to France where he was influenced by the music of Bach. When he returned, Villa-Lobos composed several symphonies and an opera, incorporating a Latin rhythm into the Bach mode of his music. Anderson received huge applause from the audience.

Kern County students will be tested on their knowledge of the music during the Kern County Academic Decathlon which takes place Feb. 7 at Bakersfield High School. But on this day, everyone in attendance was appreciative of the experience. "Coaches outside the county came up to me afterwards and thanked us for doing this," White said. "They told me, ‘our students have choices, and they want to come to Bakersfield because they know the concert will give them a fuller understanding of the music on which they will be tested.’"

Vocal and instrumental numbers performed at the concert were selected from the United States Academic Decathlon music CD and study guide."


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