Two UIndy students will serve their renewed passion for music on a platter, as well as Italian cuisine, through an Italian dinner recital.
The recital, titled “Centurial Walk Through Music In Italy,” is an opportunity to walk through the streets of Italy. Sophomore music education and business major Noah Maple and sophomore music therapy major Lydia May will guide the night by putting their musical passion on display. May said the program will include brief academic insights into the history of the music, offering a glimpse of what she and Maple will experience during their time in Italy. The recital will feature solo and duet pieces with violin, clarinet and piano, Maple said.
“I mean, as musicians, we all love to perform,” Maple said. “And I think that doing a recital that’s based on our interests, our goals and a reasoning really kind of puts more fire and fuel behind the flight.”
The money earned at the recital will go toward Maple and May’s study abroad tuition for their trip to Italy with the music department this spring, Maple said. He said it will also serve as their upper divisional project as music students to move further in their coursework.
“The upper divisional is kind of the halfway point for music students,” Maple said. “It’s an intensive project where you have to spend ‘X’ amount of hours working and preparing something. And then you also are tested on your abilities, theory, aural skills, piano and sight reading ….”
For both Maple and May, the recital is a chance to refuel their love for music. Maple said that as a music major, music can become a job rather than the passion it once was. May said she loves the opportunity to perform with her violin because as a music therapy major, she does not get the chance often.
“I’d always wanted to play Paganini, and that is a huge motivator for me,” May said. “And there’s a part where there’s a huge cadenza, a violin solo, where the accompaniment cuts out and it seems impressive because it just wows the audience.”
Maple said he will be playing a piano solo called “A Venetian Boat Song” that encapsulates the feeling of Venice. The piece is written in a 6/8 time signature to mimic the movement of water while the gondolier serenades the passengers as they row through Venice.
The two musicians do not get many chances to perform together due to their different majors, May said. She said Maple is an amazing musician and enjoyed helping him improve his performance skills throughout the recital preparation and rehearsal process.
Maple said the recital will be on March 1 at 12:30 p.m. at he and May’s church, Mount Comfort Church, at 3179 N. 600 W., Greenfield, IN, 46140. They will be playing Italian-inspired music and serving an Italian dinner including pasta, tiramisu, gluten-free items and more provided by their parents. The tickets, available for purchase upon arrival, are $10 for students, $20 for general admission and free for children three and under, May said.
“Students get discounted prices, and it’s just a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon supporting your colleagues and fellow classmates,” Maple said.
