Welcome to our second CLA Perspectives feature!
Today, we hear from pianist Lana Norris, a Chicagoland native currently based in New York City.

I was supposed to attend CLA 2020 in Italy as a pianist, in the beautiful Novafeltria region where pasta and linen suits reign supreme. After this year’s program was relocated to the Hudson Valley for pandemic safety, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What about the pasta?

What I discovered was that the Italian language alone sustains rich, satisfying study. Its poetic structures, lyrical aesthetic, and ancient rhythms deliver elegant solutions to the most complicated musical puzzles. Of course, the CLA team knew this. Glenn and John, the Artistic and Executive directors, created an ecosystem of experts to teach every aspect of the language. I had poetry lessons comparing Da Ponte to Dante (and even discovered a work by Da Ponte, Mozart, and Salieri!); daily grammar lessons; staging rehearsals guided by linguistic cadences; and coachings to express orchestral colors on the keyboard. 

We performed in a variety of settings: we not only gave concerts at the Darrow School hall but also rehearsed in a cavernous barn and sang outdoors per original performance practice. The coaches were terrific, helping me adjust my music to the acoustic demands of each space and demonstrating how to support both solo and ensemble scenes.

I didn’t only take away an incredible range of education. Along with clarifying information and musical ideas, I’m determined to share the same spirit of generosity and courage that CLA cultivates in the program. We colleagues buoy one another in our musical pursuits, and together we can gift Italian music to the audiences seeking beauty.