On Wednesday, April 8, solo and ensemble performances took place at 3 p.m. in the music building. Community members, faculty and students gathered in Krieg Recital Hall in support of music students and faculty for the first general student recital of the month.
Some may see this recital setting as nerve-wracking, performing in front of instructors and peers, but for students like music education major Maklayne Vitovich, ’19, it is seen as a prospect for growth. She feels that the recital setting is a supportive and casual environment, and that these performances shine a light on the things she needs to work on and finely tune when practicing.
As her freshman year comes to a close, Vitovich stated her gratitude for the opportunities that attending Wittenberg has provided her, such as General Student Recitals, OMEA Conference and working with the chamber orchestra Kremlin.
Vitovich was the first to perform, kicking off the recital with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Aria: Jesus ist ein guter Hirt,” accompanied by Professor Daniel Kazez on cello, Professor David Crean on piano and Sophia Hulen, ‘17, on bassoon.
Vitovich’s piece was followed by Kristina Lindsey, ‘16, on piano, performing Claude Debussy’s “Sarabande.” The show of talent continued with vocalist Constance “Connie” Frankenstein, ‘17, performing Robert Shumann’s “Intermezzo Op.3 No.2,” followed by Kathryn Nydegger, ‘19, performing Kreisler Gluck’s “Melodie.” Both were accompanied by faculty pianist Diane Slagle, who also played with soloist Asha Toure, ‘17, when she performed Franz Schubert’s “An die Musik” and Reynaldo Hahn’s “Si mes vers avaient des ail.”
Next was pianist Tanner Jobes, ‘17, performing Nobuo Uemastsu’s “Descendant of Shinobi.” He then played a duet with Jack Burdwood, ‘16, on marimba, and Kazez on cello performing Caryn Block’s “Mirage Dionysus.”
Last, but certainly not least, was a saxophone quartet that sported an even balance of juniors and seniors: soprano saxophone Christian Babyak, ‘17; alto saxophone Lucielle (Lucy) Timko, ‘17; tenor saxophone Luke Mullins, ‘16 and baritone saxophone Austin Riggle, ‘17. The quartet performed Philip Glass’ “Concerto, No. 1” to conclude the concert.
Timko feels that these General Student Recitals enable students to perform prepared music and demonstrate their talents in a supportive atmosphere.
She admitted that as a Music Education major, “performing has always been a struggle . . . I used to absolutely dread end of the semester juries and the thought of performing in a General Student Recital.”
Timko feels that she was not put on this earth to perform, but to be an inspiration to the younger generations and share her love for music with them. She says that this doesn’t mean she doesn’t like to perform, of course; she just feels it isn’t her ‘forte,’ pun intended.
As her junior year concludes, she said she’s grown as an individual and a musician. Her overall perspective of these recitals has changed. She said there is “no other feeling in the world that is comparable to performing for a live audience, whether it’s as a soloist or within an ensemble.”
General Student Recitals are a useful way Wittenberg helps students in the music department develop their musicianship and individual confidence.
