Mid-September, in Edmunds Auditorium, Presbyterian College hosted a recital showcasing the talents of the music faculty. The music department labels these meetings which are held every other Friday at 1:30 p.m. as “PC Music @ Half-Past” or MHP. This series ultimately serves as an avenue for students to gather and enjoy lectures, master classes and/or student-generated recitals. Really, it is a way for all students of music to appreciate, as a school, the achievements made and the ones yet discovered, in the music department. Usually the students are the ones up on the stage, but this time, however, the tables were turned as the professors were the ones to share their musical chops.

As this is a series devised for all of the music students here on campus, the performances reflect this diversity by encompassing the orchestral, brass, voice, and operatic fields. Dr. Richard Thomas, on cello, and Mr. Nathan Fryml, on piano, began the recital with a piece by David Popper. Following Dr. Thomas was a lively vocal piece by Dr. Tacy Fleury who was accompanied by Matt McCall on piano, entitled, “Hello? Hello? Oh Margaret, it’s You” from The Telephone. Next, students enjoyed Dr. Christian Elser’s rendition of O vin dissipe la tristesse, a part from Hamlet. The recital continued with Nancy Ditto’s viola performance and Alan Ruddell’s pianowork on a piece by Kreisler. Also adding to the recital’s diveristy was an impressive performance of a synthesized piece. Rounding out the afternoon’s recital, however, was Ms. Luce Svatonova Hughes (soprano) with Matt McCall performing a Donizetti piece and Richard House on the piccolo trumpet in B-flat with Alan Rudell on piano performing a Bellini piece. The recital showcased the many talents of our music department’s professors and private lesson teachers in a way that was both inviting and, ultimately, inspiring for all the opportunities this academic year has to offer.

Tomorrow, September 23^rd, at 1:30 in Edwards Auditorium, the MHP program will be a “Movie Week” where the department plans on watching a brief cartoon and then the final movement of Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony as conducted by Seiji Ozawa.