The faculty of Colorado Mesa University’s music program performed an assortment of pieces on Wednesday, Feb. 13 for the Valentine’s Faculty Gala. The event took place in the Love Recital Hall, inside the Moss Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. and featured a diverse array of music genres and instrumentation. Preparation for the concert began last semester with the selection of repertoire for the performance.
Dr. Graham Anduri, Director of Vocal Studies at CMU, performed the first piece of the night. He emphasized that the performance is an opportunity for the faculty to debut their work or perform a piece that is special to them.
“For some of us, this is a great chance to unveil a piece we may be working on for an upcoming recital or other performance,” Anduri said. “Some faculty members are also talented composers, and this provides a great outlet for them to have their pieces performed for a live audience.”
The concert featured faculty and pieces from the entire music department, including vocal pieces, a variety of instrumentation and multiple genres. Some performances were solos while others were duets or larger groups.
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“The repertoire encompasses a wide variety of compositional styles and musical genres […] including a wide array of classical music as well as jazz, musical theatre, etc.” Anduri said. “Essentially it is a concert that showcases the music faculty of CMU. Our faculty are all highly skilled performers, as well as teachers, and maintain active performing careers alongside their roles as teachers.”
In addition to community members, the recital hall was filled with CMU students, including some entered a few pieces into the concert as they came immediately following their own performances. Many interacted with the faculty performers during and following the concert.
“We hope that these performances inspire the students to practice harder and work towards becoming masters of their craft,” Anduri said. “It is important for them to see that their professors can walk the walk, not just talk the talk.”
Even through initial stage lighting difficulties, backstage delays and music being knocked off of stands, the performers and audience laughed and enjoyed positive interactions.
“For the faculty, this performance is a lot of fun, and I think that always comes through to the audience quite easily,” Anduri said. “We love to perform, and we espouse the belief that high quality music improves the culture and quality of life in a community, so we want to make sure we do our part to make this community a great place for everyone to be.”
With music from multiple time periods and genres, there was something for everyone at the concert.
“The faculty gala tends to be one of our most popular concerts within the Grand Valley community, so I would say that anyone who enjoys good music would enjoy this concert,” Anduri said.
The next faculty recital at Moss Performing Arts Center will take place Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. featuring Brian Krinke on violin and Arthur Houle on piano.