Kat Simonelli
Assistant Editor
Three pianists and five vocalists came together to showcase the hard work and effort that they put into perfecting their selected pieces throughout the semester in a concert Nov. 22 in Morgan Auditorium.
Though most of the students were unable to choose their musical selections, junior music major Patrick Sanchez, was able to perform a piece that he really enjoyed, “Nocturne in C-sharp minor op. Posthumous” by Frédéric Chopin.
“I like Chopin a lot, he’s my favorite composer,” Sanchez said. “His nocturnes, especially; they’re marvelous pieces.”
Other pianists included junior music major Levi Reed, who performed “Toccatina” by Dmitri Kabalevsky and sophomore theater major Sarah Tang performed “Three Etudes, Op. 104b. No. 1 Etude in B-flat minor” by Felix Mendelssohn.
Music Department Associate and voice workshop instructor Carol Stephenson picked each vocalist’s song for their performance.
“She said that she wanted to showcase my youth,” said freshman music major Katie Ochoa, who performed “Much More” from “The Fantasticks.” “And the fact that I’m really young and just starting out, it was a song that could really pertain to anyone my age, or in college in general.”
“I’ve been really sick, so the fact that I was able to blurt that out and get it out was really incredible,” Ochoa said. “So it definitely went better than expected.”
The usual piano accompanist was unable to attend the recital, so Hedy Lee, adjunct professor at Chapman University, filled in.
“I got the call on Sunday and got sent over the music,” Lee said. “We all practiced a lot on our own, of course, but it was a very spontaneous, expressive, from the heart collaboration because they’re not used to me either, and they don’t have the regular accompanist here, but they handled it beautifully.”
Senior liberal studies major Mason Sustayta sang “High Flying, Adored” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita,” sophomore music major Brianna Nemback sang “Vissi d’arte” from Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca,” freshman undeclared major Ashley Castro performed “Dites-Moi” from “South Pacific” and senior physics major Scott Chandler performed “The Vagabond” from “Songs of Travel.”
“Honestly, just everyone here has really been an inspiration to me,” Ochoa said. “The upperclassmen compared to me have really pushed me to do better, and watching them has inspired me…they just keep me going.”
Kat Simonelli can be reached at kathryn.simonelli@laverne.edu.
