Music professors take the stage

By JOSEPH HANSEN, Ranger Reporter:

The Amarillo College music department will be putting on a recital showcasing the talents of its faculty Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The event will begin with an art show and honor student recital at 5 p.m. followed by the faculty performance at 6 p.m.

“It’s very important for us as a faculty to show the students what we can do because it reinforces what we are telling them in the classroom, so they can see the us do the things that we are teaching them to do,” Diego Caetano, assistant professor of piano and winner of the London International Virtuoso Music Competition, said.

This event will be a collaborative effort between multiple members of the music department including Caetano and Camille Nies, music department chair. Their selections will include classics alongside some original pieces from Nathaniel Fryml, artistic director of choral activities.

“We get to play together in larger ensembles in the community all the time, but to be able to be side by side in this small chamber ensemble and play the music that we love is an opportunity that every musician jumps at,” Nies said.

Nies noted that members of the staff have wanted to hold a faculty recital for some time. Thanks to Caetano for organizing and kick-starting the show, it’s getting off the ground. “Collaborating with the faculty brings unity and gives recognition to the music department on campus. That’s why I pushed for it,” Caetano said.

It isn’t just the staff that is excited though. The students who also will be performing at the pre-show are looking forward to seeing their professors perform.

“We were surprised when we found out the faculty was doing a recital, but that’s awesome! Its gives us a chance to see what they can do,” Chancelor Barbaree, a vocal music major, said.

Nies said the event will benefit music majors. “We want the students to know that we still practice that we preach and that the skills we want them to learn are things that we know how to put into practice. Hopefully the students will be inspired by the different musical selections they’ll hear and see their instruments played in ways they may have not heard before.”