This last month of my undergraduate career has truly been incredible! My senior recital, La Bohème, Classic Soul with the Atlanta Symphony, recitals, and on Saturday singing in the commencement ceremony at my graduation! I feel so thankful for the wealth of opportunities that I have had in my time at Georgia State, and for the ones my experiences here are sure to inspire!
To play a bit of catch up, La Bohème was a huge success. It was thrilling opera to have done as my last at Georgia State, and one that I hope to be performing more in the future! Georgia State’s newly developed team of TV producers and videographers was there as well, updates to come on the recording! That same week I did an encore performance of David Brighton’s composition for my senior recital, ‘Quatre Chansons de Charles Baudelaire,‘ in the Georgia State Guitar Ensembles recital.
The weekend after Bohème I participated in Classic Soul with the Atlanta Symphony. It was truly one of the most enjoyable musical experiences I’ve had in a long time. The solo artists for the event, Darius De Haas and Capathia Jenkins, were both incredibly inspiring and kind people, and their talent truly shined through the whole experience. Not to mention, they sure did love to have fun! I was also thankful to be able to do this event with two of my good friends, Shala Whitehead and Melissa Joseph.
The following week was filled with rehearsals and recitals of a different caliber than I typically do. I performed in Lowell Fuchs composition recital on Friday, in a piece called ‘Room 232,’ which depicts the experience of a coma patient as they are asleep, utilizing a small choir of voices and a prepared xylophone. The composition utilizes very uncommon techniques like vocal phasing and non standard pitch variations, including quarter tones. Very Eerie! The next day was the recital for my basic improv class, or the Creative Music Ensemble. I performed ‘Forever and Sunsmell‘ by John Cage, ‘Cobra’ by John Zorn, as well as an original piece with a group. Lastly for the weekend was David Brighton’s Recital, in which I performed a very comical piece called ‘Pomegranate’ in a small choral ensemble, utilizing more rhythmic intensity than pitch notation to create a very entertaining tale of an evil space pomegranate. (And he’s coming to our planet)
After finishing those performances I spent the last week or so finalizing all my papers and projects and preparing for my final exams. Its incredible to think about the progress I’ve made as a musician in these past 4 years, and I would not take back a single day of it. I have a few auditions coming up this month for the coming year in Atlanta, as well as the performance of the Alma Mater at my Graduation and preparation for the roles I’ll perform this summer. Be sure to check back in for updates, but most of all, ENJOY THE SUNSHINE!