Maryville College students showcase talent with Repertoire Recital 

On Tuesday Feb. 25, the Division of Fine Arts presented a Student Repertoire Recital, where students displayed their performing prowess. There were eight vocal performances and one piano performance, encompassing a range of genres and styles from classical to musical theater.

A Repertoire Recital allows students the opportunity to showcase what they have been working on throughout the semester in front of an audience. Nine students performed at this recital, including Ella Morse (‘27), music major and fine arts assistant, who shared what the experience was like.

“It’s exciting and sometimes nerve wracking, but [you are] performing in front of people who are just there to support you. They’re not judging anything – they’re just there to cheer you on, and it’s rewarding,” said Morse.

Dr. Alicia Massie-Legg, senior lecturer in music at MC added, “it’s designed to give them a chance to perform in public. Performing is a skill, and so the more chances they get to perform the better off they are.”

Massie-Legg’s vocal students choose their piece, and she works on techniques with them in weekly lessons of 30 minutes or an hour. 

“I encourage my students to perform something they have performed [previously] because it gives them more time to develop the artistic aspects of the song,” said Massie-Legg. 

These artistic aspects of performance include communicating deeper meaning and facial expressions, Massie-Legg added, emphasizing that it is a better performance when they concentrate on these elements rather than just trying to remember words.

She collaborates with students to find pieces that fit their voice, abilities, and where they are in their music education, added Chase Hatmaker, adjunct choral accompanist for the event.

Another aspect of performance that students must prepare for is the accompaniment. Hatmaker plays a key role in the event, playing live piano accompaniment for the vocal performances. This adds a level of depth to these performances that cannot be reached through a recorded track.

 “The same song is going to be performed differently [depending on] who’s performing it,” Hatmaker said. “So even if I’ve done one song a million times,  depending on who’s performing with me, I still need to get with them [and discuss]: ‘what are we doing in this section?’ ‘are you taking this tempo?’, ‘how fast are we going here?’, stuff like that,” he added. 

Being able to practice with Hatmaker allows the students to be more comfortable and prepared for their live performance. Many students also use opportunities in class to get extra performance experience.

“Music majors get more performance opportunities, and when you’re able to perform more in front of your peers and in recital settings, it just makes it easier. Every single time it gets a little bit easier to get up there and perform.” Morse said. 

“After their first semester, I do require that [my students] perform in one of the student rep recitals every semester,” added Massie-Legg. 

Since students can decide the piece for their performance, there is a lot of variety in the genres showcased in the event. Some pieces were in Italian, one was in French and others were chosen from musical theater anthologies. Additionally, Claire Pinkston (‘25) performed a Beethoven piano piece. 

“It has to be something that demonstrates their technical improvement as they go along and the stuff that they’re studying,” Massie-Legg said. “We don’t just stick with classical music, though. We allow students to perform any kind of genre as long as it can be performed on this stage adequately.”

Students spend a lot of time practicing pieces throughout the semester, from which they have to choose one to perform at the recital and try to perfect it in the weeks leading up to it. 

 “I have about four pieces [this semester] that I’m working on in my lessons, six to eight weeks of lessons and semi-daily or maybe daily practice,” Said Morse. “Then, two weeks before the rep recital, Dr. Massie-Legg will [ask you] which one you want to do, and then from there, you’ll probably just focus on that for the next two weeks leading up to it.”