Even with the abnormally chilly temperatures this weekend, students and faculty filed into Molnar Recital Hall for the Senior Recital of Ms. Kathryn Perry. Perry is a soprano vocalist majoring in music and is a sister of Sigma Alpha Iota. The evening featured five different selections from various composers and languages.
Senior Devante Lucas introduced Perry to the audience. Then Perry took the stage in a beautiful evening gown, alongside her accompanist Carole Harper.
The first of the selections was entitled “Schafe können,” a German piece by the composer Johann Sebastian Bach that featured numerous tone changes and variations in dynamics from soft to loud in each phrase. While this selection was short in length, it contained lots of power and energy with each note and word that was sung. This piece really kicked off the recital and showcased Perry’s large vocal range.
The next selection, “Non t’accostar all’urna,” was composed by Franz Schubert and consisted of four different movements, each telling its own story while also building off from the previous movement. For this piece, Perry changed how she was standing and holding onto the piano, which helped to set the tone for the audience and allow them to see her facial expressions. This selection really showcased her talents, as well as her ability to change emotions from happiness to sadness.
Next came “Ma première letter” by composer Cecile Chaminade, which featured a short second movement and was seen as a welcome to spring and new weather. This selection was sung in French, which helped to change up the atmosphere and allow the audience to experience the music from different cultures.
The second to last selection was another four movement piece, except this one was composed by William Grant Still and performed in English. This was most likely the easiest of the pieces for the audience to understand as they could focus on Perry and not have to read along with the translation in order to understand. The piece, entitled “Songs of Separation,” tells the story of a man who is broken-hearted after his love has left him. As the movements progress, the tone of the music gradually changes as the man’s emotions change from despair to him moving on with his life as the song states, “I went forth in the morning to seek a new brown love.”
To wrap up the evening, Perry and Lucas combined to perform a piece entitled “Pa-pa-pa” that told the story of a couple who attempt to plan their future together and dream of what the future may bring. This seemed to be the favorite among the crowd as Perry and Lucas played the roles well and demonstrated excellent expressions. The evening would not have been complete without this performance and Perry did an excellent job performing.
For a list of future events in the Music Department, check out the Calendar of Events in the A&E section.
