By William Dishmon, Photographer and Lee Chaney, Graphic Design Artist
The annual Student Honors recital, a beautiful showcase of Pellissippi State Community College’s music department and creative talent, was recently held in the Clayton Performing Arts Center, free to all students. This year’s live production had the audience captivated through many vocal and instrumental acts alike.
While many of the performers in the show were music majors, anyone involved with the music department is welcome to audition every year. Students pick their own song and outfit for the show, preparing for auditions through countless rehearsals. Judges are brought from outside of Pellissippi to oversee the auditions, which were held in February this year. Of the 30 auditions for this year’s show, only 15 were selected.
The production was impressively opened by Jeremiah Flatford singing baritone. Several recognizable classics were performed, including “Andante et Allegro” (performed by Zandy Scarlett on trumpet) and “Nocturne in E Minor” (performed by Emma Smith on piano). For the modern musical fan, “Dentist” from Little Shop of Horrors (performed by Shawn May) and “For Good” from Wicked (performed by Emily Guzman and Alexis Gomez) brought rounds of applause. The show finished with a stunning violin performance by Grace Mcnelly, leaving the audience with a sense of whimsy and awe.
The music department puts on several shows throughout the school year. For those that enjoyed the vocal performances during the recital or are interested in seeing what they missed out on, there will be a bluegrass concert April 10, as well as a choral concert on May 1. For the instrumental fans out there, there will be a Spring concert April 17 and a jazz concert on April 24. All performances will be held in the Clayton Performing Arts Center at 7pm.
If you want to join the fun but can’t make it to the show, each production is live streamed to the Pellissippi State Community College YouTube channel, thanks to Event Services and the music department directors.
From physical stage setup to the livestream itself, just a handful of students and staff operate all our live performances. This recent honors recital was yet another successful performance in a long legacy of excellence for Pellissippi’s music department, showing the audience and staff the potential of our students in real time here.
