Students under the direction of piano professor Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel performed classical music in a piano area recital on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in Thorley Recital Hall.
The event was free and open to the public. It was the first of eight music studio recitals this school year, with shows featuring instruments such as piano, strings, horns and flute to follow.
After the concert, the performers had great things to say about the experience, each other and Dr. Bohnenstengel.
“He’s a great professor and has a lot of insight,” said Topher Hansen, who performed Prelude in G Minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff. “This concert kind of came out of nowhere, and for things like this, you get on stage and never know what’s going to happen, but it was definitely enjoyable.”
The show was a big hit with listeners as well, attendee Leonora Lund gave a raving review.
“I think Dr. Bohnenstengel has some insane talent coming out of his studio, it’s clear he knows what he’s doing,” said Lund. “I was mesmerized the entire time. My favorite performances were the pieces Topher and Valeriia Aksakova played, but I also loved listening to Bree’L Cramer’s piece. It was ethereal, and I had full-body chills from the first notes to the end. I felt like I was sent to another world.”
“I thought his writing was just as good as some of the all-time great composers that were featured,” said Lund. “I was pleasantly surprised and amazed.”
“I think it’s really cool how he can compose such harmonically dense music at 21 years old,” said Hansen. “Rachmaninoff was composing full symphonies at 21 because he was a prodigy, but I think Kyson is in that area. He’s got some serious music theory knowledge under his belt. He doesn’t even have this piece notated; he plays it all from memory.”
Upcoming music events include America in Sound: 250 Years of Freedom, a wind symphony and symphonic band concert, on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Center Theater as part of the 2025-26 Music Masterwork Series. On Friday, Nov. 7, Thorley Recital Hall will host a tuba and euphonium studio recital at 7 p.m.
For more information, go to the music department website or go here for a list of upcoming events and times.