The spring senior recitals have officially resurfaced with the help of singer Anne Hunter ’10 last Sunday. Already noted for her involvement as a member of the Academy Chorus and co-president of Fidelio, Hunter presented the first senior recital of the year. The program showed a wide range of music, from classical music in foreign languages to recognizable musical theater numbers. With the help of her Instructor in Music Krista River, Hunter had been preparing for the recital since the beginning of the year. “[I] gave a ‘debut’ concert at my house the weekend before March Break ended. I found that it helped me adjust to having an audience,” said Hunter. Hunter sang confidently and seemed very collected during the performance. She explained, “I didn’t experience a lot of stage fright [during the recital], surprisingly. Normally, I find it incredibly nerve-wracking to perform in front of people that I know, but I could feel the support from everyone…and that helped boost my confidence.” Hunter especially loved performing “Schafe Koennen Sicher Weiden (Sheep may safely graze)” by J.S. Bach. As its name implies, “Sheep May Safely Graze,” is one of the most serene, beautiful pieces of music ever written. Accompanied by a flute played by Cerella Gonzalez ’10, oboe played by Steve Kim ’11 and piano played by her father, Michael Hunter, Hunter’s pure voice resonated in all of the Timken Room. Hunter said, “I learned how lucky I am to live with my accompanist. Having my father to help me learn notes and rhythms has really exposed my weaknesses.” Anjali Narayan-Chen ’10 said, “I really enjoyed the variety in the repertoire…I really liked it when Anne sang with other performers—her duet with Cerella and the piece with the oboe and flute were really good and unique.” Hunter’s recital was a great success, and each performance was followed by an incredibly loud applause from such a small audience. Kim said, “Performing with Anne, I realized just how great a musician she really is. She performs with a powerful presence on stage. When she sings, it’s not just lyrics we hear in the audience, but the devotion and passion apparent in her performances…not to mention her amazingly pure voice.” Hunter’s recital signified a close to her career at Andover. She said, “At Andover, I discovered that there are many, many layers to music. The process of learning a piece is just as tedious and time-consuming as any chemistry lab, and the result is often far less rewarding.” “However, you do learn that the harder you work and the more dedication and energy that you pour into practicing, the better the end result is.” Hunter evidently pours many hours into practice, as shown from the beautiful quality of her recital.
