All‐State 2023: A Triumph
The 2023 OKMEA All-State Workshop took place from January 19-21 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Five Casady students, Michelle Huang (‘23), Jenna Jiang (‘23), Paloma Torres-Tono (‘23), Julia Ungvari (‘25), and myself, Eddy Kang (‘24) attended the three-day workshop.
This year’s All-State conductor was Dr. Gene Moon, a University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) graduate who studied at New York University (NYU) and received his doctorate at the University of Oklahoma (OU). He currently teaches at California Baptist University (CBU) as an Associate Professor of Music and serves as the Director of Orchestral Studies. Dr. Moon also has a surprising connection to Casady, as he student-taught under Casady Orchestra Director Mr. Moore at Putnam City North High School.
Dr. Moon chose George Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide as our two performance pieces. Both composers were Americans from the 20th century, a composer demographic which was a significant shift from the older composers I was used to. In particular, Gershwin’s unique style was revolutionary for me as a musician. His An American in Paris is a tone poem, a piece of orchestral music designed to portray a story, which illustrates an American tourist who has just arrived in Paris for the first time. Gershwin’s iconic use of taxi horns in the percussion section immerses both the musicians and listeners into a scene of a bustling street in downtown Paris. I absolutely love the diverse sequence of emotions that Gershwin portrays, and the piece’s hefty jazz influences add a fun spice to the music. Although I preferred the Gershwin, the Bernstein Overture was also exciting to play, as it was energetic and whimsical. The massive brass entrance at the beginning of the piece was a joy to hear everytime we rehearsed.
Playing an unfamiliar genre of classical music forced me to re‐envision my traditional notions of orchestral playing. Whereas I was always taught to keep tempo and maintain structure in my playing, Dr. Moon challenged me to “feel” the music, rather than count it. The “free‐ness” of the two pieces allowed us to stretch and compress the music where we felt was necessary, rather than sticking to a strict structure, which many of us in the orchestra were used to. Playing with this completely different mindset was exhilarating yet demanding, as I often found myself subconsciously reverting back to my rigid, “square” playing, as I counted “1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and” in my head.
Sixteen hours of rehearsal flew by quickly, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them, as I had expected them to be grueling. I even found myself disappointed when rehearsals ended. Dr. Moon’s energetic teaching, conducting, and life coaching captivated me and always left me eager for more. One of Dr. Moon’s remarks during a short speech before our concert was particularly memorable. He reminded us of the reason why we perform, which is not only to express ourselves, but invoke emotion in our audience. He expressed that there would be one person in our audience who truly needed our music, and we would change their life through our performance. If for no other reason, music should exist to impact that “one person” in every audience.
Stepping on stage after all the hours of hard work was an amazing feeling, and I felt so proud of how far we had come as a group. Although every concert is not without a few slip‐ups, ours included, the final concert went very well, overall. The sense of pride that I felt before playing was magnified after we finished and stood to receive the packed audience’s standing ovation. Staring into the dark auditorium and hearing the sound of thunderous applause was magical.
All‐State has left me on a musical high to this day, in terms of inspiration and motivation. Practicing violin, whether it be for orchestral or solo repertoire, is so much more enjoyable after coming back from All‐State. I sometimes find myself at my music stand for hours, unable to stop myself from playing late into the night. Dr. Moon emanated a contagious passion for music, and his advice of “keeping music in our lives some way or another” has made me want to pursue a music minor in college.
However, All-State isn’t just about the music. The people are what make it a valuable and worthwhile experience. The free time allotted in our schedule gave me the opportunity to grow closer with the friends I already knew, as well as meet and bond with new people. Additionally, I was happy and grateful to reunite with a friend that I hadn’t seen for months. There is something about music that seems to bring people together, and it was the driving force for the most powerful and meaningful relationship I’ve ever made.
During our “off campus” meals, where students had to leave the Performing Arts Center to eat, all five Casady students, alongside Mr. Moore, ate at various restaurants together. Through these meals, we became closer as a school, and I enjoyed listening to Mr. Moore’s numerous stories that involved both All‐State and his own music career. Eating together as a school is a decades‐long Casady tradition, and I believe that it plays a significant role in fostering a sense of community among Casady Orchestra members.
In addition to connecting with friends, All-State was a meaningful experience in terms of leadership. As a Korean-American, I am proud to have been led by a Korean All‐State conductor two years in a row: first, George Mason University's (GMU) Dr. Soo Han in 2022, and now, Dr. Gene Moon. Seeing a whole room of musicians captivated by a Korean standing on the podium was powerful. I got the chance to talk to Dr. Moon with my Korean friends as he discussed some of his high school experiences in Korea, and it was an impactful moment for myself as both a musician and a person.
Thank you, All-State, for the growth, joy, and empowerment that you have given me.
