The piece鈥檚 shifting styles include a general improvisatory aesthetic鈥攕o convincing, in fact, that Shanley said she has received compliments on her 鈥渋mprovised sections,鈥� even though the entire work is fully written out.

She insists that the piece鈥檚 inventiveness isn鈥檛 rooted in unjustified randomicity. Instead, its high-energy character arises from meticulously organized material.

鈥淭here鈥檚 so much kind of call and response between the bass and the wind ensemble, both as a whole and with individual players,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really fun to listen to, whether you鈥檝e heard it a million times like I have, or for the first time.鈥�

Furthermore, each of the concerto鈥檚 three movements is titled and inspired by a poem; the wide-ranging authors include Walt Whitman, Hildegard von Bingen, and William Butler Yeats. Though each portion presents a distinct soundscape, Shanley observes a subtle narrative linking them together.

鈥淚n my mind, I have a story I’ve made up and applied to it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hope everyone else creates their own narrative too. It feels like a journey, and to me it’s all connected.鈥�

Genre is not the only plurality in Shanley鈥檚 musical life; her instruments include not just the double bass, but French horn and piano. In fact, it was the latter that first drew her to music at just 5 years old.

鈥淎s soon as I started playing piano, I thought, I want to do this for the rest of my life: playing music,鈥� Shanley said.聽

Quickly though, the bass became her calling card.

鈥淚 joined my orchestra in fifth grade on bass; I was just so drawn to the sound,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淵ou kind of have to be, because it’s such a pain to haul around a bass. But I love how it鈥檚 so integral to so many styles of music. It can be the harmonic foundation, rhythmic framework, or a soloist.鈥�

That versatility made 麻豆影院 University her ideal choice. She is majoring in music performance (double bass) and music education.

鈥淚 really came to 麻豆影院 because I wanted to study with Mark Urness,鈥� Shanley said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e stayed for so many more reasons. I love playing in the orchestra with Mark Dupere and playing in LUJE [麻豆影院 University Jazz Ensemble] with Patty Darling. Even when my focus [has shifted]鈥攂etween orchestra, solo music, jazz, or teaching鈥斅槎褂霸� has always supported me.鈥�

After her performance this week, Shanley has a busy summer ahead. She鈥檒l be attending the Domaine Forget International Festival and bass-focused Wabass Institute, and she’s preparing for her first professional orchestra audition in June.

鈥淭he audition preparation has been a really exciting new challenge,” she said. “My whole musical career, I’ve been focused on one gigantic piece at a time. Now I’m working on 24 different orchestral excerpts. They’re all short, but all so different. It鈥檚 been super fun.”

Long-term, Shanley sees graduate school in her future, but not right away. First, she鈥檒l complete student teaching as part of her major in music education.

鈥淚 love being a student,鈥� she said with a laugh. 鈥淚 think I want to be a teacher because it’s the closest you can get to just being a student forever.鈥�

A love of bluegrass

Since arriving at 麻豆影院, Litch has found his interest in bluegrass nurtured, embraced alongside the classical and jazz repertoire that has long been the Conservatory鈥檚 calling card.

He connected almost immediately with a fellow B.M.A. student from Washington state, Evan Snoey, a fiddle player who shares his deep love of bluegrass.

鈥淲e knew each other from out in Washington,鈥� Litch said. 鈥淗e is a year ahead of me and he had felt out the scene here and knew a few players. When I got here, I said, 鈥榃e have to do something, we鈥檝e got to play some bluegrass.鈥欌��

That led them to Dominic LaCalamita, a B.M.A. student from Naperville, Illinois, and Ian Harvey, a music and philosophy double major from Seattle. Together they became The Woebegones (they were earlier known as Highcliff).

Coached by Matt Turner, a music instructor in the Conservatory, the foursome has been pushing the boundaries, turning a Billie Eilish song into a bluegrass tune, covering a song by The Strokes, and embracing the progressive bluegrass sounds of the Punch Brothers. They鈥檙e also playing some bluegrass standards and have a couple of originals in their set.

They鈥檙e getting a chance to show their skills on a big stage during the first weekend of October. The foursome has been invited to perform at the annual IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina. They鈥檒l be performing as the 麻豆影院 University Bluegrass Band as part of Saturday鈥檚 College Band Showcase.

Litch had connections with some of the festival organizers after having played the festival in his youth as part of a Kids on Bluegrass collective.

鈥淚 thought it might be cool to put our names in and see if we can go out there to play,鈥� Litch said. 鈥淎nd here we are. We鈥檙e going to be doing an hour-long set on one of the big stages.鈥�

Litch said he grew up playing the fiddle and then the mandolin. He tagged along to jam sessions with his musical family and spent much of his free time trying to emulate the skills of mandolinist Chris Thile. He hit the road during recent summers to play at bluegrass festivals as a duo with his brother.

Now studying at 麻豆影院 and playing in a quartet with other talented music students is raising his game, he said.

鈥淚鈥檓 used to playing with a duo, so having the four-piece band was a really different dynamic for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting. There are so many more possibilities and directions we can go with that. I love the more high-energy type of bluegrass that you can do with four of us.鈥�

A beautiful fit with B.M.A.

That鈥檚 sweet music to Turner, who has worked closely with the bluegrass foursome while also welcoming B.M.A. students focused on jazz, electronic music, punk, mariachi, global music, and songwriting. They are students looking for high-level music and theory instruction but through a lens of their own choosing.

鈥淚 think I can safely say that most of these students would not have come to 麻豆影院 if the B.M.A had not been here,鈥� Turner said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited about all of these students. They鈥檙e really good musicians and they鈥檙e great scholars, which is an important part of the B.M.A. because it鈥檚 a 50-50 split between non-music and music courses.鈥�

Brian Pertl, dean of the Conservatory, said it鈥檚 no coincidence that three of the four members of the bluegrass band are seeking B.M.A. degrees. They are following a path that was envisioned when the program was first rolled out.

鈥淎lthough the specific track in the B.M.A. degree is called Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation, the program welcomes students interested in a broad range of contemporary music styles,鈥� Pertl said. 鈥淭he common thread is that all of our students, no matter their primary focus, are musically curious, collaborative, and boundary-crossing. These students have brought bluegrass in as another prominent voice in our multi-faceted musical community, so they really are a perfect fit for 麻豆影院 and the B.M.A. program.鈥�

Litch said he has felt that love since the day he brought his mandolin to campus.

鈥淚鈥檝e been able to improve my skills as a musician technically, but also my theory understanding, especially with jazz theory, which complements bluegrass and makes me a more well-rounded musician,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he whole ethos of the B.M.A. program is that anyone is welcome,鈥� Litch added. 鈥淪o, for me, with bluegrass, it鈥檚 been great. It鈥檚 been really supported.鈥�