Earlier this month on a Monday night, deep in the dimly lit Lang Music Hall, eight graduate and undergraduate students of Hunter College proved their talents, individually performing in front of an intimate audience of almost 15 people.
As part of their degree, the students practiced their performing skills in a public performance that featured work from Bach to Montes. “It’s always good to iron out any kinks that you have before you have to perform where it really counts,” says Olivia Graham, house manager and former student at Hunter.
The recital meets students “jury requirement” – a step which prepares the student to perform in concerts. This individual performance is evaluated by two faculty members and is part of their grade for private lessons.
Hunter student, Alejandro Triana, performed a symphony by classical musician Joaquin Turnia on the oud – a Middle Eastern guitar – for his Fall 2019 requirement. Because the oud is not well known, Triana was rejected from many universities. He is Hunter’s first oud student. “Brooklyn College didn’t even know what it was; they thought it was a typo,” he said. “These guys accepted me, so I feel really grateful to be here.”
Michael Nowotarski, graduate student at Hunter, played “The Sinfonia,” by J.S. Bach, for his performance. Nowotarski was happy with his performance and said he had a lot of fun. “I was a little bit nervous before getting up there, but I usually do when I play,” he said.
Triana, the oud player, wasn’t thrilled with his own performance.“Because I’ve been playing so much, The sweat and residue sticks on the little fret boarding, damaging the strings. Therefore, you lose a little bit on the tone,” he said.
House manager Graham, who has seen several recitals throughout her college education ushering and her first year working at Hunter, considered the evening a success. “It was nice for the students to practice and get their nerves out, work through their pieces and see where their trouble areas are,” she said.
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