SHENECA SHARPE
Staff Writer
With the addition of the new organ in King Concert Hall, the only way to celebrate Fredonia’s new renovation was, of course, providing a concert for community members and students. The performance featured faculty members such as Dr. Ji Hyun Woo, Dr. David Cowell, Natasha Farny, Sarah Hamilton and Dr. Andrew Seigel performing pieces of their choice. It was a concert that had to be experienced firsthand to truly understand how the organ shook the room as the pianist played every key and the passion the professors displayed when playing their instruments.
Many music education majors were in attendance, and they all had good things to say about the concert and the performances.
“My favorite was the second piece with Dr. Andrew Seigel in the second movement. It just felt like a dance, like it came right out of one of Tim Burton’s movies,” said Alyssa Young, a junior music education major.
With a newly renovated organ in place, there was a lot of worries about whether it would sound different than the old one.
“I like it. It’s interesting. It’s new age and doesn’t have this dead cathedral feel to it,” said Rachel Isabell, a sophomore music education major.
Young agreed with the sentiment, adding “I think it sounds fantastic! From its acoustics especially with the music coming through King, it simply sounded wonderful. Not to mention that it’s physically beautiful as well.”
King Concert Hall was decently packed and filled with a majority of music majors and community members. Sadly, not many outside of the music field were seen in attendance.
“People who aren’t music majors should come to these events because music has so much to offer, and there’s a lot to explore. I understand that most people can’t sit through Mozart and Beethoven, but you can learn a lot more than just the music. You can see the passion people put into it, the time and the work. It’s just inspiring from one musician to another,” said junior music education major Brittany Sanford.
Inspired is how most people felt sitting through the concert, alongside a sense of awe at the passion and dedication on display. Even though it was only an hour and a half, watching the performers put their heart on stage somehow made it seem shorter.
“Freshman music education majors should come to these concerts and events. You can see a lot of the different aspects of performing that you wouldn’t get in the classroom,” said Young, speaking to the exposure to the arts students can receive in their free time.
The next time a concert like this comes around, students should go, especially the ones outside of the world of music. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in a culture you never thought had so much depth and mystery. To broaden someone’s horizons is best started with the arts. To go back into the past and listen to the music from back then to see how it’s comparable today is interesting and insightful.
The professors and students that helped to make this possible deserve a standing ovation for the work they’ve done and the horizons they helped broaden.