Passionately singing on the stage, Ariana Velasquez ’22 performed “Burn” from the musical “Hamilton,” with the piano accompaniment lightly harmonizing in the background. The performance was filled with emotion and meaning for Velasquez, which complemented her singing skills.
“[‘Burn’] is a really powerful song for me because I feel like a lot of people are able to relate to it and it has a very powerful message and it can be a power ballad. If you’re having a bad day, you can turn that song on and really feel yourself. For me, that was a song I’ve always wanted to learn and I finally got the opportunity for this recital,” said Velasquez.
The student voice recital, titled “An Evening of Song,” took place this previous Wednesday in the Timken Room. The program featured a variety of pieces, ranging in styles that included musical theater and folk songs, which were sung in many different languages.
Rebecca Plummer White, Instructor in Music and the accompaniment for many of the performers, said, “They were all so different; it was challenging to get into the mood of each style of piece, from Hamilton to ‘Dangerous Woman’ to Mozart. All of those kinds of things are very different, so you have to get your mindset in before you start, what the tempo is, and making sure you remember how the kids do things.”
While the student recital occurs twice a term, this was only the second student voice recital of the year. This allowed many people to have an opportunity to perform their pieces and was the first experience of this kind for many.
Celia Egler ’19, who sang “Someone to Watch Over Me,” by George Gershwin, said, “It’s my Senior year and I’ve been taking voice lessons for a couple of years and I’ve actually never done this, so I figured I might as well before I leave. It was really fun.”
Since the recital was such a unique opportunity for singers, many audience members showed up to appreciate everyone’s skill and voice.
Audience member Amelia Cheng ’21 said, “I had a couple of friends that are performing tonight and I just really wanted to come and support them and also just hear everyone else’s voices. I know how talented the student body here is so I knew it would be a really good performance.”
