The School of Performing Arts at California Baptist University held its first faculty artist series of the semester on Thurs., Sept. 26, where students, friends and family gathered to enjoy a series of musical performances by the faculty at CBU.
Many artist series events are intimate settings in one studio classroom with students, faculty, friends and family in the performing arts building. For the kick-off recital, attendees were greeted and shown to a table of tasty treats and refreshing drinks to enjoy before the show began.
As the lights dimmed, the audience settled into their chairs and silenced their phones to enjoy an uninterrupted performance. The evening featured a Piano Quartet with faculty members Jinhee Kim on violin, I-Ting Huang on viola, Aristides Rivas on cello and Gene Moon on piano. The quartet performed in G Minor, KV 478, a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The Faculty Artist series occurs each semester, providing professors and faculty the opportunity to showcase their own talents to students.
Angela Brand, director of chamber music, coordinated the event, ensuring its smoothness and enjoyable atmosphere.
“The Faculty Artist series is about three years old. This is the first year that we have started with a chamber music concert showcasing the faculty artists,” Brand said. “Coordinating this event was a lot of work but certainly worth the effort. The entire faculty in the School of Performing Arts was sent an invitation to participate.”
Blue and gold spotlights highlighted the performers as they played eight different pieces for their audience. The show ran from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., featuring varied performances of piano, saxophone, violin, baritone, flute, soprano, viola and cello. Among the composers performed were Mozart, Balzun, Bach and Piazzolla.
Any and all students are invited to watch faculty perform, and many attend eagerly to see their professors and chat with them after the show.
In the dim light sat Joselyn Enciso, freshman biomedical engineering major, awaiting the beginning of the show. As a student not in the School of Performing Arts, Enciso’s interest was piqued as this was her first time attending an artist series.
“I feel like looking at the show already gave me even more of an interest in music. I would probably join an ensemble, so I would recommend it to anyone else so they could also be a part of it,” Enciso said.
Students find joy in seeing their teachers perform. Bethany McCauley, a freshman viola performance major, sat in the front row alongside her classmates.
“I was prompted to go to the faculty concert mostly because I was really excited to hear and see all of the professors perform,” McCauley said. “My favorite part of the ensemble was definitely the first quartet that performed. I love string quartets, and the professors all performed amazingly.”
While students attended to support their professors, the artist series exemplifies the dedication of the professors in the School of Performing Arts, who invest significant time and effort into preparing for a recital.
“All the performers were volunteering their time and talents,” Brand said. “This is a very special event and a great way to kick off the fall semester and perform for the students before they start performing. It is inspiring to the students as well as to fellow faculty members.”
