Music department hosts ‘Evening of Song’
The University of Indianapolis held the “Evening of Song” in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Ruth Lilly Performance Hall on March 20 at 7:30 p.m. to showcase the talent of music students.
Music Instructor Michelle Westra directed the student performers and planned the concert.
“Each semester, the vocalists in the music department are offered an opportunity to perform in the ‘Evening of Song’ concert,” she said. “Rather than assigning repertoire to the students, I told them to go out and find music that they want to do.”
Junior vocal performance major Jessica Martin performed in the concert. She said that her favorite part about performing is singing in small groups.
“The Crimson Express part of the concert was my favorite,” she said. “I love doing duets, and I think it’s the most fun for the audience.”
The Crimson Express is a musical group at UIndy that comprises about 15 students. The performers focus on the genres of jazz and pop.
In addition to the “Evening of Song,” music students also sing in seven or eight other performances throughout the semester. This concert differed from a departmental concert because although students collaborated with each other and with faculty to come up with the program, students must develop their own music for departmental recitals. Because of this, Martin said that shows like the “Evening of Song” are much less stressful for her.
“I really like working with others, so I enjoyed that aspect of this performance,” she said. “It’s much easier than having to prepare our own pieces.”
The “Evening of Song” performances are full of variety, and for each show, there is a different theme. The fall concerts primarily feature solo performances, and the spring concerts primarily feature chamber music, which is comprised of duets and trios, but also can include larger groups.
“Most pieces on this program [were]duets—everything from classical to music theatre to bluegrass—but there [were] two larger groups participating as well,” Westra said. “Crimson Express [performed] two of their a cappella numbers, and the opera theatre [performed] an ensemble number from their show that was performed on Feb. 10 and 11.”
Martin said she would not have made such progress as a musician without the encouragement and support of the music faculty, and she offered practical advice to aspiring musicians.
“It’s really about developing musicality skills and becoming well-rounded musicians,” she said. “You won’t make a lot of money, and it’s hard work. But if you really love it, you’ll come out on top.”
