UAA music majors perform in the Fine Arts Recital Hall

UAA music majors performed in the Fine Arts Building Recital Hall on a warm February afternoon. Seven students performed two songs a piece along with Janet Carr-Campbell playing the piano for each.

Bright stage lighting covered the angled wooden walls of the auditorium, creating a rose-gold hue in the background. The audience was small but the voices and applause were large.

The first song of the night was originally written by an anonymous 15th century French composer. It was beautifully sung by Griffin Lindsay in an opera style. The soft sound of turning pages accompanying the piano played into the stoicism elicited by the singer through the first song. This student’s second song was lively and demonstrated the strength in his voice.

The second performer, Zion Merrill, sang a melancholy song where she swayed along with her words. Through both of her performed songs she showed much emotion as she held her arms and facial expressions to match the melody.

Apryl Cardwell was the third performer of the night. The singer walked across the stage and took a purposefully stiff ballerina stance as soon as the first note of the piano hit. Cardwell sang the song “Les Oiseaux Dans la Charmille” by Jacques Offenback while dancing along. The stiffness of the ballerina stance and the “winding-up” with the notes of the piano felt as if she was a marionette ballerina controlled by the piano. Her performance was enthralling as her vocal control was surprising.

Next up was a more intense piece sung by Kory Callison. The song felt tragic while the singer took deep and strong breaths to excellently sing with power and project intensity.

The fifth performer, Austen Hardy, silently started with a simple nod of his head. The singer began a soft melody with the fading of a deep audible decrescendo through both of the songs.

The sixth performance of the night by Krista Seetomona began with an amazingly controlled, soft voice that portrayed anger and desperation. This singer looked to the audience to establish the deep connection and understanding that the original composer intended.

Joseph Butcher was the final performer of the night who sang Mozart and “Tell Me No More” by John Blow. The singer had a raspy voice that worked well with both of the songs.

Each student received loud applause after their performance and the audience was left feeling pleased.

After their performances, the singers gathered outside of the Recital Hall. The first floor of the Fine Arts building was filled with praise, laughter and whistle tones.