Each year, the faculty of the Taylor Music department collaborate to create a concert that showcases the diverse talents of its professors.
This year’s annual Music Faculty Showcase will take the stage of Butz-Carruth Recital Hall on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature a range of both full-time and adjunct faculty performing pieces in their respective disciplines, including vocal and instrumental.
“The concert is an opportunity to highlight our faculty, so it consists of solos or small ensembles, maybe a duet or trio, that kind of thing, of the faculty performing,” Mary Kathryn Brewer, assistant professor of music, said. “You will hear some sacred music. You're also going to hear opera. You're also going to hear classical. There may be something that's not classical in there. It just depends. There might be musical theater.”
The showcase offers an opportunity for students in the Music department to see their professors in action, Brewer said. They see faculty supporting one another, being vulnerable and being professional. They have the opportunity to see that even seasoned professionals get nervous.
It is also inspiring for students to be able to watch their professors practice their disciplines, Leon Harshenin, professor of music, said. After leaving faculty concerts in his student days, he remembers wanting to run straight to a practice room to work.
“In my experience, having been a student and having heard my teachers perform, I'm a lot more attentive in my next lesson after hearing them perform,” Harshenin said. “(Students) grow out of a master-apprentice kind of relationship, where an apprentice observes the master and works with them. And if you never see the master present the finished product, you don't really know what you're aiming for.”
The faculty also urges non-music students to attend. It is a rare privilege to have access to musical performances put on by talented people, so people should take advantage of the opportunity, Brewer said.
The concert is also an opportunity to discover something new, Brewer said.
“I remember the first time I heard a couple orchestral pieces,” Brewer said. “I didn't imagine that I was going to be so moved by this piece of music, because I didn't care about that composer before going. And then I heard it, and I went, ‘Whoa. What is this amazing piece?’ So you never know what you're going to hear. You might hear something and go, ‘Oh my gosh, I love this composer,’ or, ‘Oh my gosh, I love this instrument. I want to hear more.’”
The concert will be less than an hour, with a variety of pieces. Harshenin arranges the pieces to flow dynamically, from quicker songs to slower pieces and from instrumental to opera.
Each faculty member generally performs one piece spanning five minutes or less.
“The diverse content ensures that there are portions that will appeal to everyone,” Conor Angell, Music department co-chair and professor of music, said. “It is a way for the accomplished faculty in our department to share a gift with our community.”
The faculty look forward to seeing one another perform, as well. While they often see the “teacher” side of their colleagues, it is special to see the performer in each of them, Angell said.
Brewer enjoys seeing the expressiveness of her colleagues.
“They just really love what they do,” Brewer said. “They may sing something that I've heard 100 times, but they just get up there and they just really tell the story. And it's such a good reminder. It's such a good challenge for me to keep doing that too.”
As the concert draws near, the department looks forward to sharing this tradition with the broader community.
Taylor invites students, faculty and friends to spend their Sunday night experiencing the diverse talents of the faculty of the Music department. Admission is free.
“I hope it will really re-energize our music students, and frankly, all of the students in this department to just keep working on their craft,” Brewer said. “I hope that there will be people from outside this department (that) come and they'll say, ‘Hey, we've got some talent in this program. I want to come to more shows.’”
