The School of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with Saint Leo’s Music Ensemble Faculty, put on the Fall Faculty recital on September 20 in the Selby Auditorium.
The recital is an annual campus event featuring, as the name suggests, members of the faculty. The program was entitled “An Evening of Music” and it showcased performances of various styles of music on piano, bass, voice and guitar.
The night commenced with a masterful performance of “Poem,’ a piece by Czech composer Zdenek Fibich, performed by Inna Korotkevitch, who is a staff accompanist and piano instructor. Her performance was received well by the audience, who responded with a hearty round of applause.
The performances of the night flowed smoothly, following the mellow setting of the venue. “The Sun is Love.” which is are poems used in a song cycle written by Gwyneth Walker, was performed by Dr. Cynthia Selph. Selph is an Assistant Professor of Music and Music Ministry as well as the director of the Saint Leo Singers.
Selph’s performance was a song cycle, a set of related songs that follow a similar theme and are played sequentially to produce one entity or to tell a story. The audience was asked to applaud at the end, as it would disrupt the flow of the story being told through the music.
The night concluded with a riveting ensemble of “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla, featuring Inna Korotkevitch on piano, Kasia Dolinska on violin, Glenn Ireland on guitar and Mauricio Rodriguez on bass.
The seats of the Selby Auditorium were packed. Members of the audience had to find comfort on the side steps of the auditorium, quite a surprising turnout for this type of event.
In attendance were students and faculty alike, including President Dr. William Lennox and Mary Spoto, the Dean of School of Arts and Sciences. Jennifer Orendorf, who is the Administrator of Events and Special Programs in the School of Arts and Sciences, hosted the program quite graciously. She spoke on the importance of programs such as this and its effect on the Saint Leo community.
“Saint Leo and the surrounding area is small, so when people need something local, there is a free performance. Clearly, there is a demand for it as we had a pretty packed house tonight and it’s important to take time out, and unwind and appreciate music.”
Jennifer Orendorf also spoke on other events coming up, including an original theater production written by students from the university’s theater program. This play will focus on The Saint Leo Benedictine Sisters and will be performed in the new Black Box Theatre later this fall.
“An Evening of Music” kicked off the season of performances under the New Moon Concert Series, sponsored by the Department of Language Studies and the Arts. This free concert series allows students, faculty, and the Saint Leo community as a whole to participate and enjoy the various talents showcased in concerts throughout the year.
