Faculty cello recital a family affair

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After decades of research, scientists are still torn on whether musical talent is genetic.  Sometimes music runs in the family; not even science can deny the talent.  The Woods family is proof.

Garrick Woods, an adjunct instructor in the Music Department, will present a BYU faculty cello recital on Wednesday.  Garrick will be joined by his father, a pianist, and his brother, a violinist. Together, they make up the Woods Trio.

Music has always been in the Woods family.  Playing music together is a beloved pastime, a unique way to gather and showcase their talents.  Woods said music making has always been a family affair.

“Looking back, I remember doing lots of family concerts,” Woods said.  “They involved all of us — my mother, a singer and my younger brother. I always remember making music with members of my family. The process is what’s most meaningful.”

This concert represents a reunion of sorts for the Woods trio. Playing music together has been on a temporary  hiatus due to location, Woods said.

“We haven’t lived in the same place for 10 years,  now that we’re both here we want to play as much as we can,”  Woods said. “It’s time, it’s been too long.”

This concert will be different from the others because of the special content: Impressionist music.  Impressionist-style music refers to a musical movement in France during the 1800s, in which composers began to explore subtle ways of bringing out musical details.  This style followed the Impressionist art movement and mimicked the techniques used by artists — dots, heavy brush strokes and a wide variety of color — all employed in the musical sense to enhance the details of the piece.

Emily Stewart, a sophomore from Gig Harbor, Wash., has played the violin for the past 10 years.  As a violinist, Stewart said the idea of Impressionist music on string instruments will surely provide an interesting pairing.

“A good musician can make anything sound good, even if it’s an unlikely combination,” Stewart said.

The idea to present a concert of Impressionist music came during the summer and has since been Garrick Woods’ personal goal.  While he has been preparing for the concert since then, things are only now coming together for the trio.  With his father, Rex Woods, living in Arizona, the three of them will gather together just in time to perfect the music for Wednesday’s concert.

This concert is exciting for the Woods, but for students as well.  Sara Turner, a senior from Herndon, Va., has been to a series of faculty concerts, cultural experiences that have helped enhance her understanding of classical music.

“I started going to these concerts my freshman year,” Turner said. “They’re opportunities to hear beautiful music and there’s nothing quite like hearing it live. It’s so much different than listening to a recording, so much better.”

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