Shining Examples
Andy Olson
Like many of our students, Andy Olson ’09 was drawn to Lawrence by the university’s unique ability to offer both an exceptional liberal arts education and a renowned conservatory of music. Olson’s
Senior Experience is a chance for him to bring the two together in a way that shows just how far he’s come since freshman year.
Senior Experience is a new Lawrence initiative (and a requirement of every student starting with those in the Class of 2012) that engages seniors in a challenging academic project to demonstrate proficiency in their major field of study, their integration of knowledge and skills gained at Lawrence, and their development of scholarly or artistic independence.
The scope of Olson’s project spans multiple disciplines, cultures, and languages in a project of applied musicology. Taking the poem “Babi Yar” by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, which was set to music by composer Dmitrii Shostakovich, Olson wrote a thesis that explores the links between the cultural and historical foundations of the work, and how those impact the actual performance. “How do you highlight the societal divide depicted in the work as a conductor and as a performer? The choices you make draw out the different elements of the piece,” he says.
The project is, in a very real sense, the culmination of everything Olson has learned since coming to Lawrence. “I’m taking all those Freshman Studies skills and applying them to subjects I’m really passionate about: Russian culture, literature, and performance.”
Throughout the project Olson has worked closely with music professors Julie McQuinn, David Becker, and Howard Niblock, and Peter Thomas, professor of Russian Studies. “It was amazing, sitting down with them to talk about my project, to see how each subject affects and enhances the others. It reminds why we study music, culture and history. The Senior Experience brought together most everything I’ve learned in the last four years,” Olson says. “I feel now like I can do just about anything.”
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