By Sergio Berrueta
The first student recital to showcase the singing and piano talents of East Los Angeles College’s Applied Music Program took place at the S2 Recital Hall last Wednesday.
Soprano Suhsien Chang came to the stage performing “No, No, No Si Speri” from Carissimi’s Canzone. Her delicate voice gleamed heart and soul with every crescendo.
Hadassah Meneses followed suit in her performance of “Alma del Core.” Meneses gave a performance combining both the strength in her voice balanced with the light-hearted changes in her singing.
Other sopranos made their mark with performances of classics by Handel and Rossini such as Siqi Li who provided style and grace in the form of operatic booms and sudden changes in tempos.
Bianca Garcia’s deep vibrant voice did a balancing act between crescendos and decrescendos which concluded with a heart racing high note.
Karen Hernandez performed the first piano piece of the show, Bach’s “French Suite in C Minor.” Hernandez moved on the keys with ease, despite her expressions being covered up by her long hair,which was distracting to some.
After her, Beatriz Tasha Magaña took the stage with her sweet yet powerful voice singing “Amarilli, Mia Bella.”
Toti O’Brien gave an arousing performance of Henry Pucell’s “Now That the Sun” with pure passion. She moved around the stage like a veteran showing her expressions of assurance and compassion. O’Brien ended on a climactic note giving the feel she was longing for something more that she could not grasp.
O’Brien was followed by Sonia Rodriguez who gave a stunning but nervous performance of Handel’s “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.” Rodriguez held it together despite her anxiousness delivering a good performance with dramatic wonder.
Sam Aguirre provided change as the only male singer. Aguirre’s song choice of Handel’s “The People That Walked in Darkness” complimented his deep baritone with dramatic complex changes in tone that wowed the crowd.
Another crowd pleaser was the final soprano of the day, Angelica Solis. Solis glided across the stage owning every minute of her performance with pure confidence filling the hall with the essence of operatic vocal work at its finest.
The recital ended with Jerome de Los Santos on piano playing Liszt’s “Trescendental Etude No. 4 Mazeppa.” Los Santos gave an erratic thrilling performance with a flurry of notes played fast and furious. The manic play lead to a softer interlude into an even more manical series of notes proving Los Santos’s power as the player of the ebony and ivory, delivering a ballet of scales and appregios.
The recital gave a great start to the small series giving everyone time in the spotlight, even if hints of nervousness and anxiety.
Brilliant performances, both on the vocal and piano front, impressed and delivered a fantastic time for the crowd.