The idea of a graduation recital has been percolating for many years, but this time around a casual conversation between students in the music building lobby morphed into action. Senior Alyssa Ortega, a flute and tuba player from Lancaster, floated the idea of establishing a recital close to graduation so that families, especially parents, could attend both in one trip.
Ultimately, Tulare native Richard Rios, who will graduate in four years with three music concentrations, including music education, saxophone performance, and percussion performance, brought the idea to Department of Music chair Cindy Moyer, who added the recital to the spring semester calendar with the support of the music faculty.
"I've been thinking this last semester that the most us music grads get is a picture outside the music building,” says Rios. “How much cooler would it be to have a recorded performance of you and all the people that you graduated with? That is so much more of a meaningful memento to me than a picture."
The eclectic repertoire will include "Romantica," a marimba solo by Emmanuel Sejourne performed by Richard Rios, followed by three songs from composers Mozart, Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.
Tenor Samuel L. Brown will perform Freddie Perren, pianist Chuang Li will perform "Allegro de Concierto, Op. 45" by Enrique Granados, Michael Hall will play two movements from J.C. Bach's "Concerto in C minor for Viola and Orchestra", trumpet player Collin Kirkwood will perform "Sonata No. 6 in G Major" by Pavel Josef Vejvanovsky, trumpet player Ryan Blake will perform "Andante et Allegro" by Guy Ropartz, guitarist Connor West and bassist Loren Acosta will play Django Reinhardt's "Swing 42," soprano Jacqueline Hernandez will sing "Il Bacio" by Luigi Arditi, Alyssa Ortega and Richard Rios will perform an arrangement for two tubas of a selection from "Funf Duette für Ruben" by Giacchino Antonio Rossini featuring, Dominique Hausler and Andrew Henderson will perform selections from "Mother Goose Suite," a piano duet by Maurice Ravel, and a piece specially composed for both the occasion by graduating music composition major Adam Erickson will be played. The event should last just over an hour with no intermission, and pianist John Chernoff will accompany many of the soloists.