By Julia Duggan
Staff Writer
Students, faculty — including President Kathryn Foster — and families all gathered in the Mayo concert hall to see the second-to-last Tuesday Recital of the semester. This recital, which took place on Nov. 30 at 12:30 p.m., was different from the others because it primarily featured small chamber ensembles including one of the largest bassoon ensembles the College has ever had.
“I don't know (if) it's the largest group in the state, and it doesn't matter if it is or is not. It's a huge group for a small liberal arts school to have nine bassoons,” said Professor Dennis MacMullin, adjunct music professor and conductor of the bassoon ensemble.
Bassoons are one of the rarest instruments in a band or orchestra, which is why both faculty and students were excited to see the ensemble perform. They performed “Sollt ich meinem Gott nicht singen, Allegro con Brio” by J.S. Bach, arranged by Mark Goddard, and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas, arranged by T.D. Ellis.
Besides the bassoon ensemble performing, there was an oboe trio that performed at the Tuesday recital. Oboes are another rare instrument. Two of the players played oboes and one played the English horn, which is a part of the oboe family. The group performed “Trio for 2 oboes and English horn in C Major Op. 87, Allegro” by Ludwig van Beethoven.
In addition, there was another chamber ensemble that performed at the Tuesday Recital. The brass quintet performed two songs for the audience, “Girl with the Flaxen Hair” by Claude Debussy and “My Spirit be Joyful” by J.S. Bach, transcribed by Harry Herforth. In the brass quintet there are two trumpets, a French horn, a trombone and a tuba.
“My favorite piece to perform was probably the first one that the brass quintet played, which was ‘Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy’,” said Ryan Haupt, a senior music education major and one of the performers in the quintet. “It’s just gorgeous and flowing and it is a lot of fun to perform.”
There were also several solo performances from several vocalists that study music at the College. Maddy Kaminsky, a soprano junior music education major, performed “Bel piacere (Such pleasure), from “Agrippina” by George Frideric Handel and “Deh! vieni non tardar (Come! Do not delay), from “Le Nozze di Figaro,” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Cassidy Leonardis, a mezzo-soprano/alto junior special elementary education and music double major performed “If music be the food of love” by Henry Purcell and “Ribbons down my back, from Hello, Dolly!” by Jerry Herman.
Megan Sholette, a soprano junior music education major, performed “What the Scarecrow Said,” from “Songs to the Moon” by Jake Heggie and “Beau soir (Beautiful evening)” by Claude Debussy.
An unexpected surprise at the recital was Foster’s attendance. She was invited by MacMullin to attend the event to see the bassoon ensemble.
“I was grateful that she came, and I know the students were grateful too,” MacMullin said.
After the recital concluded, audience members gathered in the lobby waiting for the performers to emerge to congratulate them.
“I'm just really proud of the students, and I'm really thankful for the support of my colleagues and the department,” MacMullin said.
