Kristen Chen and Ryaken Nakamato take the stage in musician Q&A
December 7, 2021
As DVHS junior Ryaken Nakamoto says, “The volume of the music program is so huge that it’s like a little ecosystem.” Meet two of the musicians within this ecosystem: Nakamoto, who plays alto saxophone in Jazz Band, and junior Kristen Chen, a Chamber Orchestra violinist. Both have played their instruments for seven years and they now offer their takes on all things music (and more) through 11 rapid-fire questions.
- Does music run in your family?
Chen: Yes. My mother and all her sisters play piano and my father played piano in the past, so considerably, my family has a large musical background.
Nakamoto: Neither of my parents participate in music, however, my two younger sisters are both in choir.
- What is something unique about your instrument?
Chen: With violin, you can be more expressive with different types of vibrato [slightly oscillating the pitch of a note] depending on if it’s slow, wide, narrow, or you’re vibrating with your wrist or arm. You can also add more musicality through bowing such as staccato [playing notes quick and detached], or bowing that is smooth or bouncing.
Nakamoto: Saxophones in general can do techniques like growling [humming into the saxophone after the note is played to create a gritty sound], double-tonguing [successively articulating a series of rapid notes] and altissimo [playing in the highest register of the saxophone]. For alto saxophone specifically, the timbre [distinct sound or tonal quality of an instrument] is quite unique.
- What do you do in preparation before a concert?
Chen: I prepare for all the possibilities that could go wrong in the concert: I hold ice in my hands for about 20 seconds because your hands can get really cold on stage, I do a high intensity workout because your adrenaline caused by nerves makes you kind of shaky, and I have my brother shine a flashlight on eyes while I practice because the lights on stage can be very bright.
Nakamato: I listen and establish recordings before the concert [and] run through any solos. [I usually take] just two to three days of preparation outside of class. To combat my nerves, I simply embrace it, because if you’re nervous it means you care.
- What is your favorite moment throughout your musical career?
Chen: I most enjoyed traveling to New York with my orchestra Gradus ad Parnassum because I got to play at Carnegie Hall as well as spend time with friends.
Nakamato: It was really cool when I saw my name on the All-State list last year.
- What do you like most about the DVHS music program?
Chen: My orchestra conductor Mr. Rhodes – he is definitely the best director I’ve met so far.
Nakamato: Ms. Musiel is a great conductor – she knows how to efficiently isolate the parts of pieces we are not the best at and then make them better, all in five minutes or less.
- What is your favorite piece of music? And why?
Chen: “Czardas” by Vittorio Monti. It’s really technical, but it’s also super fun. It’s fast paced and upbeat; you can show off with the double stops, artificial harmonics, and sliding and shifting.
Nakamoto: A recording of “After You’ve Gone.” It’s played by Patrick Bartley on the saxophone. It was live streamed during the lockdown so I can feel the energy of a lot of people having fun together behind it. It is a video I go back to if I need to brighten my day.
- If you could play any other instrument, what would it be?
Chen: Flute
Nakamoto: Trumpet
- Why is your class (band/orchestra) superior to the other class?
Chen: Orchestra is better because you don’t get neighbor complaints.
Nakamoto: Band has a lot more variety in timbre based on the volume of different instruments whereas orchestra has mostly string instruments.
- What are some of your other hobbies besides playing your instrument?
Chen: I like to write and run.
Nakamoto: I like running, going on walks, making origami and watching anime.
- What two items would you take with you if you were deserted on an island?
Chen: I would take smoked Gouda cheese and a gaming PC.
Nakamoto: I would bring a humongous LifeStraw that can somehow filter out all the saltwater or a solar-powered de-salinator. For food, I [would] bring a speargun. Though if survival did not matter, I’d definitely bring my saxophone.
- If you could have any superhero power, what would it be?
Chen: I’ve always wanted to fly.
Nakamoto: I’d time travel, so then I could buy Shiba Inu cryptocurrency from January 2020 and have $900 million today.