Concert Review: Emerging Artists 2021 Gala Recital

The University of Missouri School of Music hosted the Emerging Artists 2021 Gala Recital Tuesday, April 6th at the Sinquefield Music Center. The production was also broadcasted as a livestream via the MU School of Music YouTube page. The recital began at 7 pm in a large auditorium with a wooden floor and spotlight shining down at center stage. Even though around 200 people were watching online, there was some people in attendance at the auditorium.

They applauded as Julie Rosenfeld, assistant professor of violin at the MU School of Music, took the stage. Rosenfeld introduced the event, explaining that after a year of absence from the event due to the complications of COVID-19, this competition was back with three outside judges watching remotely. She emphasized the talent of the 11 finalists but acknowledged that the judges thought the upcoming five performers were “exceptional.” Rosenfeld wasted no time in introducing the first artist of the evening.

Calien McPike was the first emerging artist to perform at the recital. McPike is an undergraduate percussion performance major studying with Professor Megan Arns. Hailing from Quincy, Illinois, McPike also takes part in percussion ensemble and wind ensemble. As the stagehands quickly placed the marimba at the forefront, McPike strutted across the stage, dressed in a sparkly, sequined jumpsuit with a low V-neck, showcasing his gold necklace, along with a black face mask and many gold earrings.

McPike seemed anxious as he walked on stage barefooted, quickly beginning his performance of Etude Tableaux in A minor, Op. 39 No. 6 “Little Red Riding Hood” by Sergei Rachmaninov. With two mallets in each hand, McPike began the piece with an array of bright tones from short bursts on the marimba, grasping the attention of the audience. The piece then progressed, quickly showcasing McPike’s speed and skill. The performance seemed daunting and intimidating, emphasized by the transition between hard and soft strikes. The piece concluded with a large final strike, possibly reflecting the wolf swallowing Red Riding Hood.

McPike exited the stage, but soon returned with a new set of mallets and began playing “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum” from The Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy. This piece had a faster tempo than its predecessor, but it was also more melodic and peaceful, paralleling the lightheartedness and satire of the original piano composition. McPike demonstrated immense talent as the viewer was entranced by the quick movements of his wrists.

After briefly exiting stage again, McPike returned with only two mallets to begin the first movement, “Allemande,” from Partita No. 2 in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 by Johann Sebastian Bach. “Allemande” contained deep, dark tones, along with piercing high notes. The piece paralleled Baroque Era characteristics with a solo performance and the consistent return of melody. McPike started the third movement, “Sarabande,” with four mallets. The piece consisted mostly soft strikes with the same darker tones and slower tempo. At the conclusion of the piece, McPike stepped back and nodded to the crowd as the applauded.

The second emerging artist, Andrew Lewis, then took the stage with his cello, accompanied by Natalia Bolshakova on the piano. Lewis is a first-year graduate student and cellist of the New Music Ensemble at the MU, where he is pursuing his Master of Music in cello performance under Professor Eli Lara. He previously studied with Brian Snow at Bowling Green State University where he received a Bachelor of Music in music education.

Both dressed in black suits, Bolshakova began the opening chord progression on the piano for the second movement, “Adagio ma non troppo,” from Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 by Antonín Dvořák. Lewis soon joined in with somber tones from the cello. The piano seemed to serve as the background as the cello offered the voice of a crying character in the piece. At one point, the cello ceased, and Lewis closed his eyes as he became lost in the piece; however, his eyes, along with those of the audience, widened as Bolshakova aggressively struck the piano. The piano’s tempo increased, featuring bright tones, accompanied by interjections from the cello. The cello then passed the piano in speed, relaying a trade off between the two instruments. At the conclusion of the piece, both performers stood and bowed, and Bolshakova exited stage.

Lewis then began the sixth movement, “Gigue,” from Suite No. 3 in C Major for Solo Violoncello, BWV 1009 by Bach. Lewis’s performance was impressive. The piece was fast moving, and the audience was mesmerized by the quickness of Lewis’s left hand as it glided up and down the neck of the cello. This upbeat piece also observed the return of melody.

Following Lewis was soprano opera singer Isabel Quintela Soares Martins, accompanied by Ross Dryer on the piano. Quintela is pursuing a master’s degree in Vocal Performance at MU under Professor Christine Seitz and is a member of the Show-Me Opera.

Quintela entered center stage with a floral patterned red and white dress with bright red lipstick. Her dynamic vocals were tested in her performance of Métamorphoses by Francis Poulenc. “Reine des mouettes” was high pitched, featuring the fast paced, bright tones of the piano. Contrastingly, “C’est ainsi que tu es” had slower and deeper tones. Finally, “Paganini” returned with fast paced and upbeat tempo. This performance allowed Quintela to include more physical emotion. She reflected the large spectrum of emotion within the song with the use of gestures and facial expressions.

Her emotional performance took a dramatic turn as Quintela performed “Ah, fors’ è lui…Sempre libera” from La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. Comprised of mostly operatic acapella sections with interjections from the piano, Quintela took advantage of piece’s sustained notes to showcase her vocal power. The emotion in her voice paralleled the work’s subject of confusion brought upon by a newfound love. After an impressive section of high notes leading to a big finish, Quintela bowed as the audience loudly applauded. Quintela’s performance received the loudest and longest applause of the night.

After a brief intermission, bass-baritone singer Anthony Coleman Blatter walked onto the stage, along with Hans Bridger Heruth on the piano. Blatter is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Music under Professor Steven Tharp, as well as studying Musical Theater. He is also a member of University Singers and the Show-Me Opera. For his performance, Blatter was dressed in a blue blazer and light blue shirt, with an earring in the shape of Africa.

As Heruth began playing, Blatter leaned against the piano and began his performance of “Richard Cory,” an art song composed by John Duke and set to a text by Edward Arlington Robinson. Blatter’s voice had deep, rich tones. He performed in a theatrical manner, using many nonchalant gestures and expressions to ironically tell the story of a man who had everything but wasted it all. Blatter performed the second song, “Miniver Cheevy,” with continued emotion. He even stumbled during the performance to resemble the self-destructive, drunken character in the piece. Blatter concluded with “Luke Havergal.” The song started with a slow piano that progressively became faster. Blatter’s vocals mirrored this progression. He was lost in the performance, as he tapped his foot, laughed and sighed, showcasing the juxtaposition of the piece. At the end of the performance, Blatter smiled and thanked the crowd as he bowed and exited stage.

The final emerging artist performance featured Evan Watkins on the piano. Watkins is a second-year master’s degree candidate in piano performance studying with Professor Peter Miyamoto. He is also a teaching assistant at MU and a collaborative pianist for Show-Me Opera.

Dressed in a black tuxedo, Watkins walked across the stage, placed his mask inside the piano and began playing “Vallée d’Obermann” from Années de pèlerinage, Première année by Franz Liszt. The piece began with a slow introduction and soft strikes of the piano keys. Liszt performed with a great amount of emotion, paralleling the pain and depression the character in the piece faces. There was expression behind every note. Slight builds were followed by short silences. However, the piece then progressed from short, staccato notes to sustained notes, and the piece rose into more modern, unconventional tones with a faster tempo. Entranced by Watkins’ impressive playing, especially as he crossed his hands, the audience was snapped back into consciousness with every hard strike of the keys. After a short decrescendo, the piece again entered a crescendo for the finale and ended with a hard strike, signifying that the character’s emotions were uncurable. Watkins, after putting it all into his performance, stood and bowed, exited quickly, but soon returned to the stage for a final bow.

The presentation of a concert through a YouTube livestream does not compare to the acoustics of a theatre, nor does it do justice to the skilled musicians that put on such great performances. Nevertheless, the University of Missouri School Music hosted a wonderful event and it was encouraging to witness emerging artists showcase their talents.