Connecticut College has a long tradition of embracing music in all forms, which benefits not only students but members of the community as well, who can enjoy the many performances conducted on campus each year.
Among some of the best concerts are the recitals given by students in their senior year.
"The senior recital is the culmination of years of hard work by these wonderful musicians — not only the four years spent studying here at the College, but many years leading up to their arrival here," said Midge Thomas, associate professor of music and chair of the Department of Music. "It takes not only hard work, but also excellent training and working with our talented performance, composition and academic faculty to develop the skills necessary to perform at this advanced level. This year’s performances will be unusually eclectic, ranging from voice to piano, trombone to bassoon and classical guitar to original student compositions scored for large ensembles."
The students aren't all music majors, but they are all top-notch musicians.
"A student presenting a recital may be a music major with a concentration in performance, a music major with a different concentration, a music minor or none of these — that's the beauty of the liberal arts environment," said Thomas. "So long as a student is ready to perform well, the music department supports him or her in a solo recital, usually providing an accompanist or other supporting musicians. Anyone interested in hearing a first-rate concert is invited to join us in the audience and celebrate our students' achievements."
Earlier in the year, Ryan Foley ’13 gave a voice recital, Jordan Hillman ’13 performed on piano and Jamil Jorge ’13 gave a trombone recital. And on April 18, the Connecticut College Orchestra and Chamber Choir performed senior honors thesis compositions by Jordan Hillman ’13 and Ben Zacharia ’13.
Upcoming recitals include:
• April 20: Senior Recital featuring Avery Yurman ’13 on bassoon and saxophone, 3 p.m., Harkness Chape
• April 21: Senior Recital featuring Maura Spillane '13 on clarinet and voice, 1 p.m., Harkness Chapel
• April 24: Senior Recital featuring Jen Herbert '13 on piano, 7 p.m., Harkness Chapel
• April 26: Junior Recital featuring Andrew Stein-Zeller '14 on classical guitar, with original compositions, 4 p.m., Harkness Chapel
• May 9: Duo Recital featuring Julian Gordon ’14 and Miriam Tabatadze ’13, 4:30 p.m., Harkness Chapel