The School of Performing Arts at California Baptist University hosted its first Faculty Artist Recital of the semester on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the JoAnn Hawkins Music Building.
The event featured 13 performances by five of CBU’s vocal faculty, including Director of Choral Studies Professor Joshua Golden, adjunct voice professors Amy Joy Stephens, Bruce Sledge, Joel Balzun, and Julie Makerov. Adjunct piano professor Catherine Miller served as an accompanist throughout the evening.
The excitement in Room 101 was palpable as students and professors anticipated hearing their faculty’s vocal mastery. Rachel Raisch, graduate music student, shared her joy at the privilege of attending the recital.
“I’m really excited to see my professors perform tonight in such a passionate and beautiful environment,” Raisch said. “I’m just really here to encourage them tonight, because they’ve worked hard all semester to prepare this for us.”
After a prayer of dedication, Professor Golden, accompanied by pianist Catherine Miller, opened the show with an entertaining performance of “Largo al Factotum” by Gioachino Rossini. His humorous expressions and soaring baritone carried the song, amusingly conveying the story of Figaro, a vain barber.
Stephens followed with a lively rendition of “Air des Bijoux” from “Faust” by Charles Gounod. She delivered her notes and impressions with sass and confidence, effortlessly demonstrating her impressive soprano range.
Balzun continued the recital with an intense performance of “Eri Tu Che Macchiavi” from “A Masked Ball” by Giuseppe Verdi. As soon as he approached the piano, he slipped into character, his hands and face trembling in invented anger.
“Opera is just about flawed people doing flawed things,” Balzun said. “It makes it more real when there’s that expressive element.”
That expressive element continued with Makerov and Stephens’ soprano duet of “Flower” from “Lakme” by Léo Delibes. Though sung in French, their soaring voices and light-hearted expressions conveyed the song’s carefree message.
After another powerful baritone performance from Balzun, Sledge and Makerov sang “Act 1 Love Duet” from “Madama Butterfly” by Giacomo Puccini. Their jovial duet concluded the first half of the recital with smiles and laughter.
The performances continued throughout the night, with a 10-minute intermission. During the break, Celine Ong, graduate music student, spoke on the importance of supporting faculty.
“Most of the faculty have a really high standard in their craft,” Ong said. “It will inspire us as music students to go that extra mile to get to that point.”
The night’s performances showcased the impeccable talent of CBU’s vocal faculty, who have competed across Europe and on notable platforms such as The Metropolitan Opera. Balzun emphasized the importance of students witnessing such expertise.
“I would love for our CBU students to commit to attending at least one SOPA event each semester,” Balzun said. “Whether it’s one of the plays or musicals or the opera… The students are putting blood, sweat, and tears into that, and they deserve a big audience for those things.”
Though opera may not appeal to everyone, Balzun encouraged CBU students to “get some friends together, go get dinner at Chick-fil-A… and come to a SOPA event.”
