Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Merrily We Roll Along are just a few musicals with compositions by Stephen Sondheim. These are just a few of the musicals that the award-winning duo, violinist William Terwilliger and pianist Andrew Cooperstock, performed for high school musicians.
The Opus Two duo has performed across the globe, including China, Geneva, Switzerland, and more. The music they perform spans genres, from musical theater to classical. Terwilliger and Cooperstock have performed a wide selection of beautiful music on an international scale, playing in more than 6 continents.
Terwilliger and Cooperstock loved music throughout all stages of their lives: “I think we have had a love of music and a love of playing our instruments from a young, very young age, and then we pursued it,” Terwilliger said.
Opus Two showcases how important music is and how you can grow through it in all aspects of your life. High school musicians are the highlight of how important the arts are for young people to engage with.
“It’s a creative outlet for young people of all ages, and it’s a sense of accomplishment when they master an instrument,” Terwilliger stated.
On March 3rd, Opus Two held two different performances for high school students. They performed various arrangements of Stephen Sondheim’s compositions, drawn from famous musicals.
Their performance shows that music isn’t just important to musicians but to society as well.
Terwilliger explains the importance of art: “Visual arts, dance, and theater music are so integral to everyone’s lives, whether they hear it in movies or on television. It’s so much a part of the human experience, and it can express incredible emotions.”
Cooperstock also states, “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, people have the same emotions, and they can respond in similar ways to music, so I think there’s actually a very important purpose there.”
Music is integral in many parts of our lives. From casual listening to seeing live performances. Music encompasses our lives. As young high school students, understanding the importance of the arts early can help build creativity and self-understanding.
The arts are crucial to life because they’re an outlet for expressing emotions as humans and for telling stories through dance, painting, and music. Without art, society would be dull and emotionless, filled with emptiness. As Terwilliger and Cooperstock mentioned, the arts showcase human nature; humans need art and music. What are we without art?
