Musical theater, Mozart and more were enjoyed last Sunday, Nov. 17.
A mixed-multitude of faculty, staff, students and prospectives gathered together for the department of music, theatre and dance’s annual showcase. The event offered opportunities for both professors and students to showcase their abilities to the rest of the Taylor community.
“I believe the purpose is to share with our community a program with a lot of variety,” said associate professor of music Conor Angell. “Most of our concerts consist of a particular kind of music — such as instrumental or vocal — but in this case, we will demonstrate the talents of faculty and students in a number of different instruments and genres.”
The program certainly was varied. Angell performed a song from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s musical “Carousel,” while freshman Amelia Jones performed a dance number. Senior Steven Christophersen played a clarinet duet with professor of music Chris Bade, the Global Music Ensemble reprised some songs from their concert the previous night and many others performed as well.
While this performance allowed the participants to exercise their craft, it also was an exhibition for the music, theatre and dance department. The department was also having a visit day, and this concert let the potential Trojans see what the various faculty members and students can do.
Bade said the showcase concert is a combination of two concerts. Several years ago, the department sponsored a concert called White Linen which sported only faculty performances, and a showcase happened later in the year which exhibited the talent of students.
In the spirit of collaboration, the department decided to combine White Linen with the showcase so attendees could see that professors were willing to work directly with their students.
Bade noted this is what distinguishes this concert from others like the homecoming concert of Sing Noel. Instead of a specific topic, the theme is how Taylor faculty and students collaborate with each other.
“The overarching theme is about collaboration,” Bade said. “And since the title of the concert is a showcase it’s going to be an opportunity for either an individual or a group to get their face out there, so to speak.”
