Noah Silverstein ’11 captivates with music, voice

With a single yet powerful voice and a captivating stage presence, Noah Silverstein ’11 enthralled his audience this past Sunday during his senior recital, performing as a pianist, a tenor and a countertenor. Silverstein first came on stage as a vocalist, accompanied on piano by Professor of Music Greg Vitercik and performing pieces by such composers as Fauré, Berger and Handel. Even without reading about it in the program, one could tell Silverstein has had musical theater experience. While the bulk of his repertoire was composed of classical pieces, Silverstein did not just sing his recital — he performed it. His enthusiastic expressions and gifted body language conveyed the very essence of the music and though he sang in three different languages, the emotion of each song came through with full intensity. Silverstein’s voice was strong without being forceful, carrying itself throughout the concert hall on the back of the wonderful piano accompaniment.

Silverstein transitioned from singing to piano for the final portion of the performance. His playing was remarkably fluid and as he sat in front of the piano, it appeared as if he was in a trance, captivated by the music. Silverstein comes across as a true musician, fully engaged in his music and, as with his singing, conveying much of the beauty of his art through his body language.

The highlights of the night were his countertenor pieces, all by Handel, and his rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in F minor. Singing as a countertenor requires a technique where the performer sings in falsetto, producing a range equivalent to an alto. In the pieces performed by Silverstein, the countertenor was used to come closer to the castrato voice for which the pieces were originally intended without recreating it exactly. Silverstein’s countertenor voice conveyed just as much, if not more, enthusiasm and emotion.

The final piece of the night was one of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. Silverstein’s rendition of this technically and artistically challenging piece was delivered with energy and passion, reaching levels of almost transcendent violence in some passages.

After the performance, I got a chance to sit down and talk with Silverstein for a bit about his performance and his experiences with music both at Middlebury and in his life in general. Speaking with Silverstein, it was easy to tell that he is incredibly passionate about all forms of music. He has been playing piano since he was a small child and has been singing in choirs most of his life, but only started training as a solo voice performer at the College. Silverstein praised the Music Department for their support, which started even before he was enrolled.

“I remember sitting in on classes and meeting with the music faculty,” Silverstein said. “I felt instantly at home and have continued to feel so during my four years here.”

He added that the Music Department has been incredibly supportive of all his endeavors, from playing piano and singing to performing in multiple musicals and operas. While at the College, Silverstein has also worked as a composer, most recently completing a fifteen-minute requiem for orchestra and choir.

Alongside music, Silverstein is also a joint neuroscience-music major and is currently deciding between a research job in Boston and a position in a neuroscience Ph.D. program at Cambridge University. Though his immediate career interests do not involve music, Silverstein anticipates his continued involvement.

“Music is an incredibly important part of my life and I can’t imagine myself going through a single day without music,” he said. “I’ll always continue studying piano and voice.”

One can only hope that his studies and performances do continue, as he has already proven himself to be a talented and promising musician, a gift that will only continue to flourish.