The finish of the 2024 Music, Theatre and Dance Collage Concert was met with a standing ovation as the Taylor Music, Theatre and Dance department showcased students’ hard work.
The concert takes place annually over Homecoming Weekend to display the work of the department for alumni and families.
“When our alums come back, we hope that they see and can experience maybe something that they did when they were here,” Christopher Bade, professor of music and conductor of the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, said. “We're doing things that are at a really high level. We hope that it brings people back to campus, and they look forward to something that's special.”
The concert began with a lively first performance in concert by the Taylor Drumline. While the drumline has played at football games and parades previously, the concert showcased this aspect of the department.
It was followed by pieces from the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Lyric Theatre Ensemble, Chorale and Taylor Sounds Chamber Ensemble. Student feature pieces were interwoven throughout the night.
The Wind Ensemble presented an intense piece of music titled “Zoom” that was composed by Scott Boerma.
“It has to do with the energy, and lots of places in the piece feel like it's a rush to something,” Bade said. “You get to a place—then—oh, now here comes the next event. So, (the places) zoom one to the other.”
One student feature included musical theatre majors Ris Bland, a senior, sophomore TJ Fausnight and junior Gavin Kastner, accompanied by Sheila Todd on piano. Together, they performed “Old Friends,” a trio from Stephen Sondheim's “Merrily We Roll Along.”
The piece told a story of old friends going through their day-to-day lives together. As Bland, Fausnight and Kastner sang, they portrayed both the tension between friends and the resolution as they worked it out.
It was a difficult but rewarding piece, Kastner said. He added that Stephen Sondheim wrote the intricate music and lyrics, and it was a daunting task to memorize them all.
Kastner said putting the piece together without any faculty assistance was a rewarding experience for them. After handling every step of the process from learning to preparation over a mere week, Kastner, Bland and Fausnight auditioned.
“We were just really proud of the fact that we had the idea,” Kastner said. “We blocked it, we learned it and we did all of it. Every single step of the process was done completely by us three, and it was successful.”
Taylor Sounds partnered with the dance program to bring a multi-faceted performance of “Come to the Woods.” Through music and dance, the piece portrayed images of creation and nature, Amanda Browning, adjunct professor of dance, said.
Browning collaborated on the piece with Reed Spencer, associate professor of music and director of choral ensembles. The goal was to translate the lyrical theme of creation through movement, she said.
“We use different gestures that might allude to the textures of nature or (of) being surrounded by woods,” Browning said. “The singing is about just the glory of God's creation. So trying to embody what that would feel like—whether it's crunching leaves on the ground or the texture of grass or trees or bark—using all of that information to then craft movement.”
The piece captured a wide range of musical dynamics that were complemented by dance elements.
Tracy Manning, assistant professor of theatre arts and managing and artistic director of theatre, served as the master of ceremonies and used brief interludes to tie an overall theme of coming home together.
Manning talked about providing a space for people to come home and experience what the department looks like now. She wanted to allow alumni to see current students using their gifts, Kastner said.
The concert finished with a performance from the chorale. One of the pieces was the premier performance of “At the Eucharist,” written by junior Brenna Moan, a music composition major.
The concert finished with the chorale’s performance of “Mi Shebeirach.” It was greeted with a standing ovation.
The Music, Theatre and Dance department had invited those who enjoyed the concert or may have missed it to attend their upcoming events, which can be found on their event calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.
“[The art opportunities] are always of a high level, and it's a chance to celebrate their colleagues and peers,” Bade said. “Celebrate what God’s doing in their lives.”
