WCU music faculty recital is a hit

The Western Colorado University (WCU) Music Department held their annual faculty recital on Oct. 22 at Kincaid Concert Hall.

Western’s music faculty is world class. After a couple of years of short-staffing within the department, things are picking back up as they welcome a full-time teaching staff.

The night opened with "Waiting," and “Arrival,” a two-part piano and live electronic piece written by Music Industry Lecturer Conner Leigh Shaw, performed with Choir Director and Music Education Professor Edgar Girtain. Shaw’s piece was a masterclass in sound exploration and storytelling. Though the tune was not conventional and potentially uncomfortable for untrained ears, the crunchy chords and slow build encapsulate the anxiety of waiting before arriving at a big moment.

Shaw’s next piece, “Heart, We Will Forget (Her)” was his own arrangement based on the text of Emily Dickinson’s namesake poem and music from Aaron Copland’s “Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson.” Shaw performed this piece on guitar with vocals from Western student Maddy Baillie. Shaw’s intricate guitar paired with Baillie’s birdsong-like vocals brought Dickinson’s words to life in a way that was simultaneously mournful and hopeful.

The next piece offered a drastically different energy. Girtain and WCU collaborative pianist David Linville performed the famous four-hand piano arrangement of Igor Stravinsky’s “Augurs of Spring.” The performance was crunchy, aggressive, and incredibly loud. Girtain and Linville, both masterful pianists, worked together with grace and connection. The piece was technical yet entertaining and raised the audience's heart rate. When the piece finished, Girtain and Linville simply turned to each other and smiled, as if they had not just done something incredible.

Sometimes two people are meant to make music together, and that rings true for Matt and Madeline Shugert. Matt, a multi-instrumentalist and music educator at Crested Butte Community School, and Madeline, a woodwind specialist and educator at WCU, performed a guitar and saxophone duet of Valse Vanité by Rudy Wiedoeft, an iconic pre-jazz/ragtime tune. Madeline’s performance showcased her versatility as a saxophonist, and Matt’s backing guitar offered a beautiful harmony while still letting the saxophone shine.

Never before has the trumpet been associated with an aspen grove until Director of Bands and Brass Ross Venneberg’s performance of “Aspen Grove” from Kevin McKee’s “Centennial Horizon,” accompanied by Emeritus Professor of Music Martha Violet on piano. Venneberg and Violet make playing their instruments look easy and graceful. The piece was cinematic, transforming Kincaid Concert Hall into a serene aspen grove, and even brought a mist to the audience’s eyes.

“Chinquapin Hunting,” performed by Orchestra Director and Adjunct Lecturer in Strings Drew Murdza on mandolin, Shaw on upright bass, Madeline Shugert on banjo, and Matt Shugert on guitar, is a traditional bluegrass tune named after the edible nut of the chinquapin shrub. The tune was lively, fast, and precise. If it had been a minute longer, the audience might have gotten up and begun dancing.

“Midnight on the Water,” is a classic American fiddle waltz performed by the previous ensemble but this time with Murdza on fiddle. The quartet beautifully performed the gentle, yet somber, tune, invoking the feeling of being out on the water in a rowboat before going off to war.

The next bluegrass tune brought a more sassy and funky energy to the stage. Still featuring Murdza on mandolin and Shaw on guitar, they invited their friends Forest Mannan, upright bass, and Christopher Chalmers, drums, to the stage. Their performance of “Black Orpheus,” (Manha de Carnaval) featured incredible guitar and mandolin solos by Shaw and Murdza, and excellent backing from Chalmers and Mannan. After the piece ended, a couple of hoots and hollers could be heard from the audience.

The night closed out perfectly with Girtain’s original piece, “Your Irreducible Humanity”, which he had written for himself to perform on piano with Matt Shugert on tenor saxophone and Madeline Shugert on alto saxophone, though they were joined that night by Ben Justis on percussion. “Your Irreducible Humanity” was written to remind listeners that even though the world tears us down, they can never take away our humanity. Girtain’s masterful composition skills were highlighted in this sparkling and reflective story, with echoing melodies from the Shugerts and varying time signatures. The entire audience stayed completely still for a long moment after the piece ended before erupting into applause.

Overall, the night was a massive success for the department. Patrons old and new cannot wait to see what’s in store for the rest of their academic year.