Fine Arts faculty showcase their talents
On Friday, Sept. 20, the Maryville College Division of Fine Arts presented a faculty showcase in which professors of the music department performed chosen pieces for the public in the Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall. The faculty showcase provided an opportunity for the music professors of MC to flaunt their skills outside of the classroom.
Performers included Rachel Acuff, adjunct instructor of music, piano/keyboard and oboe; Noelle Brundige, adjunct instructor of music and voice; Chase Hatmaker, adjunct choral assistant; Alicia Massie-Legg, lecturer in music; Harold Nagge, adjunct instructor of guitar; Bill Swann, professor of music; Hannah White, part-time choral assistant; Kate Wogoman, adjunct accompanist.
Massie-Legg, also a mezzo-soprano, performed “Almost Real” from a musical, The Bridges of Madison County, as well as “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Come Rain or Come Shine.” Her performance with pianist Acuff of “Almost Real” incorporated elements of acting and musical theater.
“The music tends to be technically more complex and, consequently, a bit more demanding to learn, memorize, and perform,” Massie-Legg said.
For many of the professors who performed in the show, performing provides a platform for them to express themselves creatively.
“Emotional connection is always necessary if a singer is going to adequately communicate a song’s meaning,” Massie-Legg said. “This process of understanding and putting on a character is made much easier when the song is from a musical or an opera simply because the characters are pretty well defined by the stories being portrayed.”
Brundige performed several pieces, including “Party Dress” from Henry and Mudge, “You Need Song” and “No One Else” from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Before starting her performance of “Party Dress” with pianist Wogoman, the vocal instructor warned her students in the audience that this was “not the way to sing,” because of the way she manipulated her voice to match the vocal immaturity of the character she was portraying.
For the last performance of the night, Hatmaker and Acuff were joined at the piano by senior music education major Lindsey Lively who served as their page turner for “A Carmen Celebration.”
On Oct. 8, there will be an Americana themed Small Ensembles Concert in the Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall at 6 p.m. In addition to that performance, there will be a performance by Chelse Vega and Michaela McMarthy for their joint senior recital at 6 p.m. on Oct. 10, also in the Lambert Recital Hall.
