Jiaqi Zhang’s finger slid up and down the piano so fast that someone walking into the recital would have thought that Ludwig van Beethoven was there himself. On March 6 in the Thorley Recital Hall, students of SUU were able to show off their musical talents.
At the recital, students performed the pieces that they had been working on throughout the semester. Each student is able to perform once a semester. The different performances consisted of students playing the piano, oboe, saxophone, flute, bassoon and singing soprano and alto.
Music Education major Matt Watson attended the recital.
“It was absolutely wonderful. There were a lot of very talented people today. It is hard when you have so many people that need to perform, and it is nice when people are considerate of that. I thought it was very well done,” Watson said.
Performers at the recital included Jiaqi Zhang, Sara Larsen, Maria Pisarenko, Melissa Harris, Lydia Field, Justin Jarmillo, Lily Gebs, Cindy Esquerra, Mary Anne Andersen, Chris Kuhlemeier, Blue Ellsworth, Jan Pressgrove and Shayla Jessup.
Soprano singer Sara Larsen said one of her favorite things about the recital was to see how different people sound from semester to semester.
“It is really fun to see how they have grown over the course of the past semester.It is also really fun to work towards these [recitals],” Larsen said.
Larsen puts in about 14 to 15 hours a week of practice. She is very dedicated to the program and enjoys being able to perform in front of others after practicing so hard during the course of the semester.
There was a powerful energy that could be felt in the concert hall. These students have put in hours and hours of work in order to continue improving. Those that were in attendance were drawn to the musical abilities in front of them.
Southern Utah University student Carli Kimzey is majoring in math. She shared her thoughts on the performance.
“I thought it was good that everyone could have a professional performance and be in that atmosphere. I am not a music major, but I still can appreciate that they have to put so much time into it and be dedicated enough. They’re able to show what they have worked on and what they are proud of,” said Kimzey.
Another student recital will be held March 13 from 12-1 p.m. in the Thorley Music Recital Hall and is free and open to the public.
Story by: Lacy Truman
lace.truman@gmail.com
Photos by: Lacy Truman
