The music department has recently presented two junior recitals: one featuring Sara Rogers (‘24), a mezzo-soprano, and the second as a joint effort between Abigail Cannon (‘24), violin, and Isabelle Torokwa (‘24), mezzo-soprano. Pianists Jenny Parker and Maddie Lee accompanied the three music majors. The recitals were considered “elective”; that is, the students chose to perform them even though they are not required to do so for their major.
Rogers performed on Tuesday, March 21 with a series of nine selections from musical theater centered around the idea of “Being Known.” In her program notes, she issued an invitation to the audience to “sit … listen, and experience this collection of songs that speak to the idea of being known and allowing yourself to be known by the people around you.”
Selections from Roger’s program included “Out There” from “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “No One is Alone” from “Into the Woods,” and “All I’ve Ever Known” from “Hadestown,” in which she dueted with fellow music major Tallis Finch (‘26).
“I chose to collaborate with Tallis because he's a friend of mine, and after hearing him in “Hello, Dolly!” I really believed he would be able to do it well,” Rogers recalled. “And our voices blended together really nicely!”
Rogers was most excited to close her recital with “Being Alive” from “Company.” “I had heard [“Being Alive”] for the first time a few years ago and when I was trying to pick out some songs to do, and I kept coming back to this song. So I built my theme around it.”
Cannon and Torokwa performed on Thursday, March 30, presenting a wide variety of selections. Torokwa sang pieces in four different languages including French, German, Italian and English. The highlight of her evening, however, was performing the iconic song “Gimme, Gimme” from “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Torokwa said, “I love interacting with the audience during that song … I was looking at people’s eyes and drawing people in.”
Cannon presented Dvořǎk’s Sonatina in G Major and Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances. She found the Bartok both challenging and rewarding: “The Bartók was definitely much more difficult, but it was also very different … I did like performing it, but it was probably my least favorite because it was a lot harder. It was a fun challenge.”
Cannon and Torokwa also performed “The Prayer” as arranged by Kurt Bestor, noting in the program that “we would like to dedicate this song to the families and community at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville.” Torokwa and Cannon’s recital dress rehearsal was only one day after the school shooting at Covenant Presbyterian Church, so they decided to use that piece as a way to acknowledge the tragedy.
Performing “The Prayer” was an emotional experience for both of them. Torokwa recalled, “As we were performing, I looked out into the audience and saw some people who were crying … I looked over and two of our friends, as we were playing, were closing their eyes and listening. I was trying really hard not to cry.”
Rogers, Cannon and Torokwa all considered choosing a junior recital to be good practice for their upcoming senior recitals. Assistant Professor of Music David Tahere, who oversaw the arrangements of their recitals, agreed.
“Music is a communal, shared experience, so it’s helpful to create as many opportunities for [students] to perform and share as often as possible,” Tahere said. “[A junior recital] is not required, but it gives them a chance to say ‘yeah, I can do that, I’ve done it before.’”
Tahere also remarked on the progress that Rogers, Cannon, and Torokwa made as they prepared for their recital. “From three weeks ago to watching them in their recitals, there was a huge leap in their confidence and their ownership of both their repertoire and their abilities, and for me that’s the inspiring thing: to watch them step into their own and feel like they are more in command of the gifts they have been given.”
The junior music majors are now turning their attention to their senior recitals, considering themes and preparing repertoire. The music department, however, is not done with recitals for the semester: for current music major seniors Anna Baum (‘23) and Parks Robinson (‘23) recitals are right around the corner, slated to be performed on Tuesday, April 11 and Thursday, April 20, respectively.