Music students perform at Burns Chapel Opening

Brendan Wynne
October 20, 2017

Aaron Johnson, piano performance junior, at the Burns Chapel Opening Concert, Oct. 20, 2017. Photo by Bradley Wilson

The crisp, sweet notes of the tickled ivory cascaded throughout the hall, bouncing off of redone carpet, onto freshly painted walls and back into the ears of those seated in brand new pews. One thing they didn’t hear was the sound of the brand new air conditioner.

“There’s new carpet, new painting and, most importantly, you won’t hear one of the more important aspects of the renovation, which is a new air conditioner,” Martin Camacho, dean of the college of fine arts, said, receiving a laugh from the audience.

As part of the Burns Chapel Opening Concert, students and faculty from the Department of Music performed for the 74 students, faculty and staff in attendance. The Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts hosted the event and used the opportunity to showcase the freshly renovated Burns Chapel on Oct. 20.

Aaron Johnson

First to perform was piano performance junior, Aaron Johnson, playing “Cancion y Danza No. 6” and “Rhapsody in G Minor Op. 79 No. 2” by Frederico Mompou and Johannes Brahms.

“I always enjoy playing,” Johnson said. “I’ve been getting ready for about three months, so it was quite the job.”

Kara Hicks, vocal performance sophomore, sings “Amor” from Cabaret Songs at the Burns Chapel Opening Concert, Oct. 20, 2017. Photo by Bradley Wilson

Johnson was not the only student to perform for the crowd, as Kara Hicks, vocal performance sophomore, interpreted “Amor” from Cabaret Songs by William Bolcom, with Camacho on the piano.

Kara Hicks & Martin Camacho

“The department asked me to perform at the event, and I’m really glad I did,” Hicks said.

Tyler Lasseter, music performance senior, plays Premiere Rhapsody by Claude Debussy at the Burns Chapel Opening Concert, Oct. 20, 2017. Photo by Brendan Wynne

The third and final performance of the evening was courtesy of Ruth Morrow, music professor, on piano and Tyler Lasseter, music performance senior, on clarinet, performing “Premiere Rhapsody” by Claude Debussy.

“It is always exhilarating to perform,” Lasseter said. “I’ve been playing clarinet for about 12 years, and I hope to play for many more.”

Tyler Lasseter & Ruth Morrow

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