Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Every term, students from the music department have the opportunity to perform pieces they have been working on. On Thursday, May 23 at 11 a.m., the last student recital of the year took place in Smith Music Hall.

In a relatively short program, 10 students put their hard work on display to an audience of their peers, teachers and families. This recital provided one last chance this school year to perform in this setting. The performances were a mixture of piano, voice, guitar and one cello.

Julia Fruit performed “Prelude XII: Minstrels” by Claude Debussy on piano; Tristin Thomas played “Ben’s Song” by Richert on cello while accompanied by Jackie Morelly on piano; Songzi Li sang “Through the Night” by Korean musician IU while Kenneth Soh played the piano; and Virtue Velour and Nikita Williams gave a rendition of “Broken” by Seether joined by Trevor Fischer on guitar.

Velour explained why he chose to perform this song.

“As a classical musician who’s also a big fan of rock and metal, the song is really accessible for a concert format … I just knew that I wanted to do a duet with (Williams), because she has a great voice and I trust her musical instincts,” Velour said.

There were also two performers who played pieces of their own creation. Alex Lancaster played his song “The Night Forest” on piano, a complex piece rich with storytelling. Stacy Henle played guitar and sang “Neskowin Parade,” a song about a small town celebrating the Fourth of July, which she co-wrote with A. Lancaster.

Clocking in at less than an hour, this recital was one of the shortest this year, but contained just as much talent as any other student showcase. Velour explained what he learned from the experience: “Doing a duet is a really good opportunity to learn how to work with your peers. Trevor’s also a great guitarist … so he was fun to work with as well.”

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton