KSC senior Alyssa Becker performing in Cohen Hall at Keene Public Library on Tuesday, February 8 as part of a Valentine’s Day concert.
Photo Credit: Soren Frantz / Equinox Staff
KSC sisters perform Valentine’s Day Concert at Keene Public Library
It’s the time of year where love is in the air.
On February 8, sisters Alyssa and Kirsten Becker spread this love through song at a performance at the Keene Public Library. The duo performed a program of love songs that spanned across genres.
“We tried to make it a really eclectic program. We wanted a program that had a little bit of something for everyone,” Alyssa Becker said.
The performance featured Alyssa Becker singing and Kirsten Becker on piano.
The program included classical and jazz pieces, love ballads and original compositions by Kirsten Becker. Some titles from the program included “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra, “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, “Blue Moon” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
In addition to these widely-recognized titles, the duo performed three original compositions by Kirsten Becker.
All of Kirsten Becker’s original compositions featured in the Valentine’s Day concert surround love and the feelings of falling in love. One piece, titled “Violet,” uses the changing seasons to symbolize a newfound love.
“I wrote [“Violet”] during COVID. It was right when the weather was changing… and it made me think about how winter is symbolic of feeling cold inside and maybe not having anyone in your life to love. And then when you do find somebody to fall in love with, it can feel like your heart, like your emotions are blooming again,” Kirsten Becker said.
“Love and Thought,” another original composition, is based on a Robert Frost poem. The piece uses different musical techniques to convey the contrast between love and thought, as described in the poem.
“The poem, it goes back and forth between love versus thought, and I tried to write differently for those two different sections,” Kirsten Becker said. “One is a lot more grounded feeling with these dramatic chords, and then the section for thought is a lot more flighty. And there’s a lot more fast and kind of unpredictable notes that happen.”
The third original composition, titled “Goodnight, My Friend,” details the process of meeting someone for the first time and subsequently falling in love.
“…you say goodbye or goodnight to them and they’re just this casual acquaintance, but then every time that you see them again and you start to fall in love with them [and] that goodbye becomes way more meaningful and important,” Kirsten Becker said.
These pieces, among others, are part of an original album recorded by the Becker sisters, soon to be released.
The duo will be performing the same Valentine’s Day program at The Colonial Theatre next February. “We’re actually scheduled to perform this same program, the same Valentine’s Day program, in February of 2023. So that is something we are super excited about. And we’re both looking forward to that performance,” Alyssa Becker said.
Although the sisters have been performing and making music together from a young age, they recently formed an official singing and piano duo. Through years of working together personally and professionally, the pair discovered a love for performing together.
“I’ve always loved to sing and Kirsten [has] always loved to play the piano and compose. So we’ve kind of been working together for years,” Alyssa Becker said. “We also realized that we just loved performing together. So we really want to explore what we can do together.”
Alyssa Becker said the Valentine’s Day concert was an overall great experience. “The audience that came out was so amazing. I saw that some people in the room were tearing up and crying and it was just so precious. And it was overall such a positive night and a positive experience,” Alyssa Becker said.
Kirsten Becker shared similar thoughts, “I could see that a number of the people in the audience were touched by our performance. So that was great as a performer to know that you connected with the people that were listening.”
Caitlin Howard can be contacted at
choward@kscequinox.com
