Working with Denison’s Vail Series, Taylor Hallowell ’15 has played a key role in presenting legendary soprano Jessye Norman, laughed in delight with Bobby McFerrin, and absorbed the expressive technique of cellist Matt Haimovitz. But when she graduates, she will leave with some serious skills as well as memories of truly stunning performances.
For more than 30 years, Denison’s Vail Series has presented world-class musicians to the campus and community. “But Vail is so much more,” says Hallowell. “It’s seeing Bela Fleck or Yo-Yo Ma on a small stage, six feet away from your front row seat, knowing he’ll be spending enough time here to interact with students and answer a question if you have one.”
Hallowell, a communication major with a cello performance minor, has held several positions with Vail: selling tickets and ushering as a staff member, coordinating Vail’s Twitter and Facebook accounts as social media intern, and finally, as lead intern, managing the team of 27 student staff and eight interns.
Vail Series Director, Michael Morris said Hallowell brings a unique perspective as a music student and has strong organizational and communication skills as lead intern. “She has the respect of her peers, as any good leader has to have. She does all of that, and still has a good time doing it.”
“There are certain things that you can only learn by doing. I think that working as a team or managing a team is something you can learn about in theory, and certainly that’s important. But applying that theory in practical use is critical. I think the Vail Series internships do that for our staffers,” Morris said.
In 2014, the Vail Series, in collaboration with the President’s Office and the Department of Music, launched its first Ensemble-in-Residence program by hosting the renowned string quartet ETHEL.
“The Vail Series mission is to feature performers in the arts, but we also want to establish interdisciplinary relationships with the artists,” Hallowell said. “ETHEL visited different disciplines and departments, illustrating how the arts relate to their academic studies.”
In their time at Denison, ETHEL met with students and faculty in dance, environmental studies and communication, participating in discussions, concerts, master classes and workshops. They also collaborated with the music, education and psychology departments to discuss the cognitive benefits associated with music lessons in early childhood.
“Other themes that emerged included the relationships among music and emotion and language, especial syntax, as well as the evolutionary history of music. Each member of ETHEL brought insight, humor, and enthusiasm to the discussion,” Nestor Matthews, professor of psychology and neuroscience, added.
“Being here reminds me most of a TED conference, where the exhilaration of fine ideas evokes a kind of fervor and everything starts to seem related, and relevant,” said Dorothy Lawson, ETHEL cellist. “Here, we shared music as a medium for communication in a greater sense. In every insight and impulse, we feel we share spirit and intention.”
