“The way they both commanded the stage made me cry,” said senior music education major Alice Browne.
Seniors Elise Lowe and Logan Phillips sang for audiences at the Redfern Art Center’s Alumni Recital Hall for a recital on Saturday, Nov. 4.
Accompanied by pianist Vladimir Odinokikh, Lowe and Phillips performed a variety of choral selections as part of their senior recital requirement. Music education students perform this recital during the fall semester of their senior year. It requires students to perform selections that showcase their vocal range, multiple languages and time periods.
Lowe has been involved with choral groups and bands since the fourth grade and currently serves as president of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) chapter at KSC. Lowe said Keene State College has helped nurture her development as a musician.
“My professors have been super helpful and have always taken the time to support me. I’ve received so many wonderful opportunities that I’m super grateful for,” Lowe said. “It’s helped me expand my knowledge, and having that kind of close relationship with my professors has made it so much easier to build confidence with my progress and expand my knowledge.”
Phillips is pursuing a double major in music education and musical performance in addition to competing for the KSC diving team and serving as vice president of KSC’s Sigma Pi chapter.
“I came to KSC with room to grow, but the point of school is to learn new things,” Phillips said. ”I’ve had the opportunity to learn how to go from just singing a song to creating art.”
Phillips added, “I’m trying to perform in a way that audiences can feel what I’m singing about, even if it’s in a language they might not understand. I want them to be able to feel what the song is trying to say, even if the lyrics aren’t understood. It’s been countless hours of work, and striving to expand upon that skill.”
Music Department Chair Daniel Carberg was the vocal coach for Lowe and Phillips. Carberg met the two during their high school auditions and has been working with them for four years.
“Their first year was the first full year of COVID, I got to know them mostly through a computer with vocal lessons on Zoom,” Carberg said. “It was particularly interesting and challenging for their first year-and-a-half to be such a different experience from what musical students experienced pre-Covid,” said Carberg.
Carberg said he was proud of Lowe and Phillip’s growth as performers.
“They’ve both transformed as performers,” Carberg said. “They’ve been working on songs in multiple languages and have worked hard to understand what they’re singing about. It’s the difference between making art and just memorizing lines. I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished and how I’ve been able to witness them develop.”
Senior Alice Browne attended the event in preparation for her own senior recital.
“We’ve all been going through the process of putting together our senior recitals, and mine’s in a few weeks. I knew I wanted to be here to support them,” Browne said. “The performance was so gorgeous, and I’m so proud of both of them, how far they’ve come and how amazing they performed tonight.”
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
