Students, faculty and staff can say, “Goodbye to the Stars and Moon” with junior music education major Stephen Avilez and senior music and theatre major Elizabeth Enderle on Nov. 4 in Ruth Lilly Performance Hall. According to Avilez, he and Enderle wanted the performance to go beyond what was required of them.
“Long-story-short, we just decided to do it together because it’s more efficient, and they encouraged us to do that,” Avilez said. “We went on a trip to Italy over the summer and decided to make a bit of a show instead of just a homework assignment.”
Enderle said this recital has been an opportunity to test herself and try some new things that she has not had the chance to do before. She said the recital is a combination of songs that she considers ‘old friends’ as well as songs that are new and have challenged her.
“This recital has been a really nice opportunity to try some different things I didn’t understand, and was also a good experience where I got to figure out and kind of test some of the boundaries,” Enderle said.
Both Enderle and Avilez said their favorite song from their performance is “Constellations” by The Oh Hellos. Avilez said he arranged the piece for the recital, which was a challenge for him, but one he enjoyed.
Another song in the recital that has connections to both Enderle and Avilez is a piece from “Phantom of the Opera.” Enderle said “Phantom of the Opera” was one of the first musicals she ever watched as a kid, and she would often watch it on repeat. Avilez said the song is for his mother, who was in a production of the musical.
“I come from a background of musicians and such, and ‘Phantom of the Opera’ is very dear to my mother,” Avilez said. “The reason I’m doing it specifically is because she would sing these high notes from ‘Phantom of the Opera’ as punishment or [to tell me] I needed to move faster, she would unleash this whistle register. So I’m doing this for my mother.”
According to Enderle, they did unique things with the way they staged the recital. She also said they are doing duets and an encore at the end of the recital called “O Sole Mio.” Avilez said another unique thing about their recital is that they are able to do it together.
“My favorite thing about this is that I get to do this with a friend,” Avilez said. “Not everyone gets to do it with someone. I hope to make this a recital that we can both be proud of.”
