By Bendik Sorensen
A&E Editor
The Great Hall in the Winnick House is a relatively busy place. During the day, it’s nice and quiet, but come nightfall, the hall gets filled with song and melody. “Music majors are required to have two recitals through their time at post,” said Veronica Nguyen, a sophomore music major. She is currently preparing for her second recital; one that is not required. “I’m having a sophomore recital as well. It’s nice to get the experience, and when it matters more, I know what I’m doing,” she said.
There are about four recitals going on in the Great Hall every week, with students ranging from Nguyen- a mezzo soprano classical singer, to jazz guitarists and trumpeters. “Usually, there are collaborations between the students,” Nguyen said. “We help each other out a lot.” Nguyen also explained that the students, at the start of their career at Post, gets a professor/mentor that follows the student throughout their studies. “We get familiar with each other,” she said. That professor usually ends up accompanying and helping out on the recitals.
The point of the recitals, which range between 30 minutes to an hour, is to get experience. Not just the performance itself, but what goes into a longer performance in terms of preparation, logistics etc. “We usually start preparing for the recitals as soon as the academic year starts,” Nguyen said. “But of course, we use stuff that we already know, so it’s not just new stuff specifically for that one performance.” The students are responsible for gathering an ensemble, getting together and practicing in their spare time to be prepared in time for their performance.
At the end of the day, the performance is not graded. It is, however, an important piece of the musical career puzzle. It’s a part of being a musician.
Follow the CACD Calendar of events for the list of performances each week. Catch Veronica Nguyen and her performance on April 8 at 5:30 p.m. in the Interfaith Chapel.
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