Students in the music department were able to showcase their talent on Sunday, March 3. The day began at 3 p.m. with the first-year and sophomore voice recital. Afterwards, at 7:30 p.m. the juniors and seniors performed their own voice recital.
Dr. Daniel Carberg, chair of Keene State’s music department, explained it is a busy time for instructors and students alike. “We have three voice teachers including myself… Morgan Bothwell and Evangelia Leontis, the three of us are the voice faculty, and so we all have students that will be performing in these recitals. They’ve been going really well. We have one pianist who is playing for all of the students, and that is Vladimir Odinokikh… He doesn’t play for all of the students’ lessons so they’ve had to set up extra rehearsals with him.”
Although it has been busy, Carberg explained it is beneficial for the students.
“I think it’s good experience for them,” Carberg said. “They have a short amount of time to work with [Odinokikh] and they have to be able to communicate… and so it’s a really good communication skill for them.”
With their schedules so tight, students are bound to be nervous, Carberg explained.
“Some students get very nervous,” Carberg said. “I would say, the more experience you have as a singer, as a performer, the less nervous you get over time, but it requires experience … I think between the three teachers, we all have different strategies and how we approach being nervous. What I tell my students is … they are storytellers and that their job is to go up there and connect with the text and tell the story and take their own personal ego out of the situation, and that they have a job to do… Sometimes that helps.”
Evalynn LaRose, a first-year music education major, explained her nerves leading up the performance.
“I’ve performed a lot and people always say, ‘It just gets easier the more you perform.’ I’ve been performing since I was eight. So you’d think I’d be a little more comfortable with it, but it’s just not like that for some people. So yeah, I am nervous, but I mean, I know my piece. And the worst thing that will happen is, I mess up and then I do better next time.”
Sarah Stagg, another first-year music education major, explained, “I’m rehearsing just by myself, I utilize the technology I’m given. So I have a recording of my collaborative pianists from my lessons playing the piece that I can sing along to… At the end of the day, it’s a learning experience. You’re going there to improve as a vocalist and just have a good time and it’s a really supportive environment. So I feel ready for the performance.”
Benjamin Martins can be contacted at
bmartins@kscequinox.com
