Steeped in music for years, singer and cellist Sarah Paquet is new to composing.
This fall, the Traverse City Central High School senior found she also had a voice in writing music. In October, she completed her first piece and was surprised when it was selected along with 20 other student compositions to be highlighted at last weekends' Michigan Music Educators Conference. Young composers in grades 2-12 from around the state participated in this Honors Composition contest.
Singers with the Central High School's Choral-Aires ensemble, of which Paquet is a member, traveled to Grand Rapids just for the Saturday five-minute presentation. Another choral student took her place so she could conduct the piece, her debut as a conductor. A cello student from Michigan State University played the cello part.
"It was my first actual choral piece I wrote down,” said Paquet of "Agnus Dei,” where she created original music for the traditional Latin requiem texts. "I was walking around the house singing the melody one day and then sat down at the piano and figured out the chords. And then I decided to add parts for a chorale and a cello, too.”
Hearing the piece sung for the first time during rehearsals at the school was a thrill, to hear the actual words, phrasing and vocal contrasts brought to life.
"You hear it in your head for so long,” she said.
Paquet is also a cellist and a member of the Traverse Youth Orchestra and Central's symphony orchestra. She plans to study choral music education next year at Ithaca College, Brown, Michigan State or Michigan.
Her experience conducting last weekend cemented for her that she is on the right career track.
"It was really cool, I think it definitely confirmed for me that that is what I want to do with my life,” said Paquet, who noted she was not nervous about conducting Saturday because there were no judges. "My experience in Choral-Aires, conducting that and orchestra conducting, just the few experiences I really, really enjoyed them. It's really fun to listen to all the parts, analyze problems and then problem solve.”
Tami Grove, Central High School's choral director, praised Paquet's musicality and maturity as a student and artist.
"She's more advanced that your average high school student in the sense that she can hear music in her head and transcribe it,” she said.
"It went smoothly, it was beautiful,” Grove added of the Grand Rapids trip. "It was neat to see Sarah take on that role and for all the students to support her.”
Monday, the Choral-Aires also sang Paquet's "Agnus Dei” for the TCAPS School Board, with Paquet playing the cello part and Grove conducting. A string quartet, including Paquet, also performed for the board.
Before "Agnes Dei,” Paquet was an informal composer: recording music she created but never writing it down. So far the hardest part of conducting has been getting the sounds from her mind onto paper. Although she uses the composing software Sibelius, Paquet does not yet have a keyboard hooked up to the computer so the software will automatically record her playing.
"Because of all that you end up with notes swirling around in your head,” she said. "They're probably compilations of things you've heard during the day and I just have to sit down and write it.”
Although new to the field, Paquet also believes that her years of playing an instrument have boosted her composing skills and she looks forward to making more music.
"Playing an instrument give you a certain base, the technical theory of sound,” she said.