This past Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m., the UTM Department of Music presented the community with a Student Chamber Music Program.
Music majors, as well as a few other majors, ranging from freshman to senior level status, performed. The program was comprised of eight various ensembles presented within the entire hour.
The first performance was an anonymous sonata from “Die Bankelsangerlieder.”The piece was very lively and conveyed a mood of grandeur and royalty. Junior Ryan Davis and Sophomore Brent Hopper played the trumpet while Senior Carley Cherry played the horn; Freshman Ryan Bateman played the trombone and Sophomore Robert Elam played the tuba.
The second ensemble performed a light-hearted piece called “Brindisi (Drinking Song),” from “La Traviata,” a nineteenth century opera composed by the Italian Guiseppe Verdi and translated by David Bussick. The students performing it were Senior Kaitlyn Trobaugh, Sophomore Kirby Cherry and Chloe Smithson, all playing the oboe; Natalie King played the English horn and Sophomore Tucker Gillihan and Sophomore Zach Barker both played the bassoon.
The very deep, bellowing piece “Canzona per sonare No. 1” by Giovanni Gabrieli was performed by Senior Andrew Adams and Senior Martin Mathes who both played the trumpet, Freshman Jocie Baker who played the horn, Junior Rachel Pittman who played the trombone and Junior Chris Dodson who played the tuba.
The contemporary composer Gregory Wanamaker’s composition “Duo Sonata,” which is comprised of two parts—Departure and Elegy—was the fourth piece to be performed. It was a lovely ensemble that significantly juxtaposed the vivacious mood of Departure with the solemn tone of Elegy. It was performed by Sophomore Stephen Borodkin, who played the clarinet, and Tucker Gillihan, who this time played the alto saxophone.
“Power,” which is composed by another contemporary artist John Stevens, was a boisterous piece performed by Junior Doug Young and Freshman Cayla Infield, both playing the euphonium, and Sophomore Joe Agee and Sophomore Hunter Treece, both playing the tuba.
The sixth piece, a very long, lively performance of Chant d’Amour from “Trois Piéces”was presented by various students playing saxophones—Senior Dalton Rardin, Sophomore Chantia Brown, Sophomore Tucker Gillihan and sophomore Zach Barker.
Afterwards, trombone players Junior Amanda Evans, Sophomore Crissy Miller, Junior Rachel Pittman, and Sophomore Kevin Freyler performed the popular British ballad “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.”
The last two performed were more familiar pieces—the traditional music of “Angels We Have Heard on High”and Franz Gruber’s renowned “Silent Night.”Both were performed by Freshman Jocie Baker, Freshman Andy Nelson and Senior Samantha Ragain, all three of who played horns in both pieces.
“I just was very pleased with the great variety of music and not just that—also the great variety of students who performed. They were very good!” said Music Department Chair Elaine Harriss.
