When Amanda Senatore ’04 took the stage last Saturday for her Senior recital, the power of her strong soprano voice was matched only by the energetic stage presence she displayed throughout the performance. Rather than standing stoically behind her music stand, Senatore opted to lend a more human touch to her recital through theatrical movement, emotional intonation, and periodic conversations with the audience. The musical quality did not suffer as a result, however. Senatore sang both beautifully and accurately despite a tough and varied repertoire. Senatore opened her recital with an anecdote about her first year as a vocal student at Andover. When vocal instructor Shinobu Takagi offered both French and German as possible languages for lyrical study, Senatore responded with “I don’t do French” and “I don’t do German.” Following the audience’s laughter at the story, Senatore befittingly sang the first piece she sang under Takagi: “Se Florindo è fedele,” by Allessandro Scarlatti. She rounded out her first set with three more Italian pieces: “Delizie contente, che l’alma beate” by Cavalli, “Malinconia, ninfa gentile” by Bellini, and “Se tu m’ami” by Pergolesi. After a brief pause, Senatore started her second set, which consisted of operetta music in English and Italian. The highlight of the second section was the duet “Là ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s beloved The Marriage of Figaro, in which Miles Canaday ’05 joined Senatore as her love interest. The two vocalists maintained the façade throughout the song, and blended fluidly. Senatore closed her recital with a set of pieces from the musical theater. Her free-spirited rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company sent the audience into spurts of laughter. Then, Senatore invited her second and final guest vocalist to the stage for another Company song: the hilarious love-analysis “The Little Things You Do Together.” Along with guest soloist Stephen Travierso ’04, Senatore transcended the limits of the Timken stage with a flirtatious and very well-executed performance. Throughout the recital, school organist Carolyn Skelton accompanied Senatore in an obviously heartfelt rendition of the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The song, and the recital capped Senatore’s brilliant career as an Andover vocalist. -Ariel Gold
