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There was a tremor in Philip Lauto鈥檚 voice as he addressed the members of . Lauto, a senior in the music program, had been through a couple of composition workshops before as a part of his course work, but that didn鈥檛 make telling the visiting professionals how to play his piece any easier.

His “Break Through” imagined, he said, a melody being suppressed and finally breaking through in the music. At the outset, delicate piano melodies seemed to be blocked by bold, repeated chords in the lower register. The strings then entered with unexpectedly romantic lines. The short piece was steeped in variety.

Lauto was one of three music majors (all completing concentrations in composition) who heard their pieces played by Trio Solisti, marking a decade as 鈥檚 ensemble-in-residence. A handful of fellow students and a couple of professors joined them in two rows of chairs set up on the Westermann Stage of the for the February 18 session. Understandably apprehensive, Lauto told the musicians he wanted to hear more contrast between the sections.

鈥淥verall, to be honest, I鈥檇 like it a little bit slower,鈥� he said, 鈥渁 little more relaxed.鈥�

As they prepared to play the piece again, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach told Lauto he could interrupt them with instructions if he wanted.

鈥淥h,鈥� he said, laughing nervously. 鈥淥K.鈥�

Lauto pronounced the second run-through 鈥渓iterally perfect鈥� and then the ensemble began instructing him, giving him suggestions on how to better mark dynamics, bowing and intonation in the score to get what he鈥檚 looking for.

Nerves aside, Lauto was all smiles after the session.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really incredible,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have the playback [from the composition software] we use but nothing compares to live musicians playing it.鈥�

The other two student pieces put some challenges to the trio.

“For You,” written by junior Michael S. Gayle, was a jazzy, cinematic piece that called on the pianist to improvise in passages. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to be Herbie Hancock,鈥� Gayle said when Trio Solisti member Adam Neiman explained he wasn鈥檛 that sort of pianist.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen you guys several times,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 thought of you when I wrote this. Not that this is what you really do, but I thought, 鈥業t would be so dope if they could do this.鈥欌��

Daniyil Tchibirev鈥檚 “Trio” featured lush instrumental passages occasionally interrupted with dense blocks of prerecorded electronic sound. The unusual piece required a little more work but Tchibirev was happy with the results.

鈥淚 think it was true to what I wrote,鈥� said the junior on his first workshop experience. 鈥淚t was a little surreal to hear it with real instruments rather than a computer.鈥�

Gayle concurred.

鈥淚t鈥檚 refreshing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen we were composing, it鈥檚 like the sonogram. But this is the birth. You鈥檙e actually seeing life.鈥�