Senior Emily Le has played the piano ever since a grade school crush caused her to join band class eight years ago. Last month, she participated in the musical “Sweeney Todd” in a larger role than past years.
Le learned the rhythm and characters to help her memorize the notes, making sure she could find her way around the music since it was so much more challenging than the past musicals performed. “Sweeney Todd” was filled with grim undertones compared to last year’s musical “Barnum.” The music sheets were filled with sharps and flats, giving Le more to look out for when typically they are used less frequently.
“I think it was important for us to take on a bigger show this year, almost as a gut check for our musical program,” orchestra director Evan Farmer said. “I don’t think any of us would have been ready for this show before now, so this has been great to see how much all of the students (and directors) have grown since we started doing this four years ago.”
Le’s role in “Sweeney Todd” was more independent, since she was the only pianist. But she still loved being part of the pit and interacting with others. The practices started in November from 3-5:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Gradually, more days were added as opening night approached. She loved having a role in the production.
“I love music, but I can’t sing,” Le said. “I can’t act, and I can’t play brass instruments or wind instruments. So it’s very nice to see different types of arts.”
While opening night is normally a sense of stress for most, for Le it was a chance to get hyper focused. She said opening night is where the music is the best. After practicing the muscle movements for months, the stress becomes a source of energy.
Farmer said this was a good opportunity to help Le work on her accompanying skills, which can make her more marketable after graduation.
In the spring orchestra concert, she will have a piano concerto giving her a chance to show off all she’s learned in the past four years.
“Anyone will be able to sit on the bench at the piano,” Farmer said, “but replacing Emily Le, the person, will be impossible.”
