James May
Chief Copy Editor
In the past week, campus has witnessed the blissful rejoicing of post-I.S. seniors. With the laborious writing process behind us, and Orals either over or too far in the future to be stress-inducing, April seems like a month of freedom and relaxation.
That is, unless you’re a music major.
This month, the senior music majors will perform their I.S. recitals, concerts that run through the end of the month. Instead of the typical I.S. writing submission, music performance and composition majors prepare a series of pieces over the course of the year that culminate in their senior recital.
Though the kind of research is different, the process is no less labor intensive.
“The preparation process was long and exhausting. I picked my pieces last spring and worked on them through the summer and into the fall.” said music therapy major Maggie Connors ’16.
This extended preparation time also required a dedicated level of maintenance; as Connors says, “Just because you learned a section over the summer doesn’t mean you could put it away and it would still be presentable come the recital.”
Though each major works to their own ability level, the technical demands of the repertoire are extremely high. Joe Caffrey ’16, a composition and percussion performance dual degree major, said that for one piece he spent “hours of practicing placements to learn how to stand and balance my hands properly.” This is in addition to the logistics of scheduling rehearsals and meetings — for my composition recital, in addition to composing the pieces I am responsible for conducting rehearsals, organizing my ensembles and providing performance feedback.
But still, perhaps the most rewarding and most difficult part of the process is interpretation and the musical decisions of the performers. For some, like vocal performance major Lauren Vanden Broeck ’16, the process of artistic interpretation is more challenging and demanding than simply learning the notes, particularly with music that many might deem outdated.
“I think my performance contributes a deep respect and admiration for an art form that a lot of people think is dying,” said Vanden Broeck. “I like to perform anything that isn’t standard repertory because it gives much of this incredible music much needed lime light … the art song tradition is very much alive.”
However, even with the differences between music recital preparation and a more traditional I.S., one thing remains the same: as Connors, who gave her recital last fall, put it, “I am so relieved that it is over.”
All senior (and junior) I.S. recitals are held in Gault Recital Hall in Scheide and are free to the public. Come support your fellow classmates at these events!
April 9: 2pm – Alex Piepenbrink ’17, oboe
4pm – Lauren Vanden Broeck ’16, voice
April 10: 2pm – Mitch Ryan ’16, percussion
April 17: 2pm – Joe Caffrey ’16 and Mitch Ryan 16, composition
4:30pm – Joe Caffrey ’16, percussion
April 23: 2pm – James May ‘16, composition
4:30pm – Laura Schneider ’17, voice
April 24: 7pm ¬– Jane Kuan ’16, piano
April 30: 2:30 pm – Kimberly McDonough ’17, violin