Student musicians from an array of educational disciplines displayed their talents on Saturday Sept. 20 at the annual Honors Competition Recital in Doty Recital Hall. The performances demonstrated that Geneseo students do more than just excel in the classroom. Eight students were accepted to perform in the recital after competitive auditions held in the spring. The musical pieces chosen by the performers were so difficult that they spent months and sometimes up to a year rehearsing for the recital.
“Musical performances give the Geneseo campus a chance to see what we’re up to in Brodie Hall all day,” flutist senior Gina Vecere said.
“These performances allow students to contribute to the campus community in a unique way by demonstrating their musical talents,” violinist senior Bob Gaglione added.
The skillset of all the students was beyond impressive and Doty Recital Hall’s acoustics enhanced the presentation of the exquisite pieces. It was incredibly easy to forget that the performers were not professional musicians because of their polished techniques along with the intensity with which they played. The songs not only displayed a high skill level but also spoke to the emotional components of music.
Vecere performed the “Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise” by Franz Doppler, a series of highly passionate Hungarian gypsy dances for flute and piano.
“I was able to let the music move as I interpreted it, which actually made it extremely difficult because it meant that there was almost no guidance by the composer,” said Vecere.
Gaglione explained that he became interested in the “Ballade of Sonata” for solo violin, his chosen piece, after his teacher introduced it to him.
Senior Joanna Ostroot performed composer Francis Poulenc’s “Romanza and Allegro con fuoco of Sonata for Clarinet and Piano.”
“Students do more than just study for classes,” she said. “It really adds the well-rounded factor.”
Sophomore Katherine Zaslavsky, who played Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Rondo of Sonata for Horn and Piano,” shared a similar sentiment about these kinds of performances, saying, “They show a balanced student body.”
Many of the performers expressed their gratitude for the opportunity and a high sense of fulfillment to play in front of their teachers, friends and families.
“It’s really important for students to nurture these musical abilities and talents because learning music adds so much to your learning and life experience,” Ostroot said. “I think it’s great that the community gets to really hear students at their best.”