Vocalist Katherine Growdon delivers a contralto performance.
Music Department Faculty members displayed their talents on Friday night during the Adjunct Faculty Showcase. Held in John Barry Hall in the Falls Music Center, the concert featured vocal solos, a saxophone and electric guitar duet, and two ensemble works written by faculty composers. The showcase offered students a rare insight into their teachers as active, collaborative musicians. With an energetic audience and a dynamic program, the recital offered students a chance to experience their teachers’ artistry firsthand.
Among the performers was Ms. Rebecca Plummer, a piano teacher, chamber music coach, and choir accompanist. Plummer spoke about the importance of faculty performances for students, explaining that concerts like this allow teachers to model the musicianship they emphasize in lessons and rehearsals.
“To see that we practice what we preach, we ourselves have to perform. We practice and get all of our pieces to the best of our ability and show that we not only teach, but that it’s important to perform. Performance is performance. [We] give it all our best and do the best we can. It’s important for us as teachers to show our students that we still engage in live music and music is relevant to people today,” said Plummer.
Audience member Ellen Mueller ’26 attended the recital after hearing friends discuss the showcase, deciding to come for the performance after recognizing several of her former teachers in the program. She described a performance of Studies on Rage for Each Day by Mary Kouyoumdjian, performed by a flute, bassoon, and piano trio, as the performance that stood out to her most.
“[Studies on Rage for Each Day of the Week] stood out to me because I [had] never heard anything like it before, but I loved it! It was stressful and beautiful. I heard my friend whisper next to me ‘That’s what dissonance was invented for. I’ve seen the faculty perform individually, but never like this, so it was really special,’” said Mueller.
Gregory Newton performs on the bassoon.
Mueller also commented on the atmosphere of the concert, noting how the size of the audience and the energy in the hall contributed to the experience.
“Everyone was really supportive and happy to be there. The space was perfect for a group of this size, and there were quite a few people in the audience, so it was really lovely. Even though I’m graduating this year, I will come back next time,” said Mueller.
For many students, seeing their teachers perform live added a new layer of inspiration and appreciation for their work beyond the classroom. Enzo Yang ’29 described his experience, especially the captivating opening vocal performance.
“I really liked the sopranos and the singing at the beginning because they weren’t only singing, but their facial expressions and stance were all just very expressive. It was almost like a whole theatrical performance but very short and expressed very musically and I just really liked that. My friend invited me to come, and my trumpet teacher is playing today, so I was interested in what he would play in this recital. The performance motivated me to practice trumpet more,” said Yang.
Attendee Junu Lee ’29 noted his favorite part of the concert and the inspiration he garnered through the performances.
“I liked how the melody appeared with the same motive, and [how] they had different solos like trumpet, piano, [and] trombone. I got the feeling that I wanted to try jazz. There [were] a lot of interesting jazzy pieces. I might start practicing one of those. If there’s another opportunity like this, I would definitely come,” said Lee.
