With the second half of the term beginning, Augustana students returned to face five weeks of new challenges. Among those, several student musicians have a specific task to ring in the New Year: student recitals.
The progression from practice room to the stage is no simple process. Students choose their music, rehearse it, plan an order, find an accompanist, memorize and oftentimes find a partner. After that comes the most daunting task of all.
In order to perform a recital on campus, students must first pass a recital jury. A recital jury is when the student faces the music staff in a private performance of their selected pieces.
The staff can either approve or deny the performances, which will ultimately decide how long the students must wait to arrange the performance, with a minimum of two weeks.
The performances capture not only the technical skill of the performer, but their personality, according to junior Jamie Hochmuth, who will perform on Jan. 23.
“I honestly love all of my pieces,” Hochmuth said. “There is a lot of character and heart to each one of them, and I am excited to portray those emotions to an audience.”
With deep breaths and relaxed sighs, many music students have faced and passed these exams. A select group will be performing on the Wallenberg Hall stage in the upcoming series of performances.
Senior Elyziah Powers said performing with a partner eases the arduous process.
“The process of working with another singer who is committed to the music, and is also willing to laugh about mistakes is wonderful,” Powers said. “We both recognize the level of pressure we are experiencing and what needs to be done, but if something goes wrong we just laugh and figure out how to best improve.”
Powers and his partner, Jamie Hochmuth, have been performing together since the Augustana Opera performance of “Pirates of Penzanze” in 2013. The duo will be performing a series of pieces about love and heritage, with a comedic element as well.
Powers said one of his favorite pieces is “Tis the Last Rose of Summer,” a traditional Irish song about loss.
The duo will perform on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. Watch out for more upcoming performances.