Southern Utah University’s Department of Music held the “Abendmusik” faculty recital in the Thorley Recital Hall on Monday, Feb. 10. The two-hour program featured a variety of musical pieces with various instrument combinations.
The concert opened with an interpretation of Mark Applebaum’s “Catfish” played by percussionists Jed Blodgett, Joseph Howe and Kevin Johnson. It then transitioned to a classically-oriented style with Johannes Brahms’s “II. Allegro appassionato” from “The Clarinet Sonatas” performed by Adjunct Professors Hannah Bradshaw and Tracey Bradshaw on piano and viola.
“There was a wide range of talent,” said Spencer Lloyd, a trumpet performance major student. “You had everything from a super abstract percussion piece to a jazz combo and it was just really fun.”
Two performances involved vocals. Tracey Bradshaw played the piano while Professor Carol Ann Modesitt performed three songs “Bewitched,” “Little Girl Blue” and “My Funny Valentine” by Richard Rodger. Adjunct Professor Rhea Miller sang “Let the Bright Seraphim” from the three-act oratorio “Samson,” accompanied by Assistant Professor David Torres at the trumpet.
“I think it’s super cool to see the teachers do what they can do because we don’t get to see that ever,” said Riley Dorman, a vocal performance major.
On electric guitar, Director of Undergraduate Music Technology McKay Tebbs performed Chick Corea’s “Spain” alongside Director of Bands Adam Lambert at the electric wind instrument. Next came Adjunct Professor Ling Yu on violin, joined by Bradshaw on piano to interpret “The Dream of Helen” by Keith Bradshaw.
A tango entitled “Café 1930” by Astor Piazzola was then performed by Adjunct Professor Jon Yerby and Torres. Originally for guitar and flute, this piece was transcribed by Torres to be played on flugelhorn.
“I’ve done these faculty concerts since I started here in 2019 and it’s just great to be a part of the SUU faculty and perform with your colleagues,” said Yerby. “My favorite part is always just playing. As soon as you play the first note, it’s like, ‘All right, here we go, this is what I do.’”
The recital concluded with a jazz performance of Nat Adderley’s “Work Song.” The song featured Director of Woodwinds Trevor Davis on saxophone, Associate Professor of Piano Christian Bohnenstengel on piano, Adjunct Professor Jacob Lee on bass and Director of Percussion Jed Blodgett on drums.
“I really like the last song, it was groovy and jazzy,” said Alexa Merrell, an attendee at the concert. “It had passion and it was awesome to see the staff jamming out because they were really good.”
The recital was live-streamed and can be found on YouTube. For more information on upcoming events visit the music department website.
Author: Fanny Felixine
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Tessa Cheshire
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