By Daniel Ruiz
Correspondent
Mayo Concert Hall echoed with the sounds of classical music, temporarily transporting listeners to another time period through waves of smooth crescendos.
At 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 the Department of Music hosted its weekly Tuesday Afternoon Recital Series for students and faculty alike.
Sophomore music education major Joseph Reo started off the afternoon’s performances, accompanied by staff pianist Kathy Shanklin. The two performed the song “Air Gai” by Gabriel Pierre Berlioz with Reo on trumpet.
The short tune started off with a very catchy and upbeat tempo that drew in its audience before transforming into a powerful ballad between the piano and trumpet. The two instruments complimented each other nicely and Reo and Shanklin meshed well together, climatically giving the crowd a commanding ending and an admirable performance overall.
Next to take the stage was junior music education major Angelina Francese, who was accompanied by staff pianist Nicholas Gato. She performed two songs, first “Will There Really Be A Morning” by Richard Hundley (1931-2018) followed by “Mandoline,” by Gabriel Faure (1845-1924).
“Oh some Scholar/Oh some Sailor/Oh some Wise Men from the skies/Please to tell a little Pilgrim where the place called Morning lies,” she sang in her chirpy soprano range.
Francese’s powerful high notes helped display the power of her voice and powerful lyrics. She helped draw the audience in and make them feel the emotion of the writer and performer.
Francese’s second performance took a different approach during her song “Mandoline,” which she sang in French.
The song carried a rhythmic tempo with a catchy piano melody. Francese’s upbeat stage presence added to cheeriness of the song, making it an enjoyable performance.
Last to perform was sophomore music education major James Mikula — the second trumpet performance of the afternoon. Accompanied by staff pianist, Kathy Shanklin, the two performed “Romance in E Flat” by Leroy Ostransky (1918-1993).
As the last performer of the night, Mikula was expected to deliver a grand finale, and he did not fail to do so. Both Mikula and Shanklin kept feeding off of each other as the song progressed. The duet made for a moving performance.
During and after each performance, the crowd seemed extremely involved and excited for their fellow classmates. Each performance ended with the crowd clapping and chanting the names of the performers.
“We’re a tight knit group in the music program,” said sophomore music major Miranda Inglese. “Everybody knows everybody and everybody supports everybody. It’s honestly a great thing and events like this are special because you get to see the result of the hard work of our friends.”
