Spring semester brings multiple senior recitals

Though never short of music, the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts is especially busy this time of year with student recitals.

Associate professor Jonathan Alvis said there are roughly 25-30 recitals each fall and about 50-60 recitals in the spring.

Senior and sometimes junior recitals are required of all music majors. Though some requirements may differ between the various music majors, the standards are all the same, Alvis said.

Recital hearings are also required sometime within the two weeks before the scheduled recital date. The hearings, which are done in front of the student’s instructors and department chair, are how students prove they are proficient enough to perform a recital.

Though preparation may be stressful, junior Rachael Biggerstaff said the hearing itself isn’t too intimidating.

“Going in front of these professors who have seen me grow, I know they just want to see me succeed,” Biggerstaff said. “It’s not stressful or anything like that.”

Alvis is one of several professors that gives private lessons to students on a weekly basis. He said this kind of instruction allows professors to closely monitor students’ progress, as well as determine what level they need to reach for their recitals.

“We all mentor students as the year goes,” he said. “We all have a hand in senior recitals.”

Alvis said though not every student is held to the same standard, all are expected to be progressing. Some of Alvis’ students have been working on pieces for four years, he said.

Senior Spencer Smith, a piano performance major, said professors often expect their students to practice three to four hours every night on their own. His recital is scheduled for April 13.

“So yeah, there’s a lot of preparation involved on your own, but your professor is also there alongside you helping make sure you get everything as correct as possible,” he said.

Between her and her roommate, Biggerstaff said her house is filled with music at all hours of the day.

A vocal performance theory major, she’ll be performing a joint recital with a senior Feb. 27. Her roommate’s recital is scheduled just one day later, Biggerstaff said.

“So it’s a little bit stressful in my house right now,” she said.

Senior David Schelske, a music education major, also has a recital scheduled for Feb. 27. He’s on the “homestretch” of his work, he said.

“It’s been fun, it’s a whole lot of work,” he said.

In addition to being pushed to do the best by their professors, Schelske said students in the music department are all very supportive of each other.

“Some of us have been together for four years,” he said. “We’re all kind of a family.”

This is especially evident when the recitals take place, where the audience is usually full of music department students and faculty, Alvis said.

These recitals are a culmination of four years’ work, he added.

Alvis stressed that much more goes into the recitals than what the audience sees, as they’re only witnessing the final product.

“It’s scraping the surface of what we do,” he said.

Despite it being a busy time, Biggerstaff said she’s excited to be a part of it.

Originally a music education major, Biggerstaff said the music department’s many opportunities in opera drew her in to a major in voice performance.

“They suck you in body and soul and you love it anyway,” she said.