On Feb. 26, the Department of Music hosted a senior music recital for seniors Lizvette Pappaterra and Mikella Wisler. The event, which was free and open to the public, was held at Zug Recital Hall and allowed the two music therapy majors to showcase their talents and what they’ve been working on the past few months.
For the recital, Pappaterra and Wisler each performed a total of four sets and performed two songs together. Each of the performers were responsible for selecting the songs that they were interested in performing. The selections came from a variety of cultures and composers, which included German, French and even Brazilian music. As Pappaterra described, the selection process was one that took a while. “I started picking some music about a year ago and over time I added more,” Pappaterra said. “Over the summer, I officially had all my music picked and I started to work on memorizing it.” While she had some ideas, Pappaterra credits her vocal coach for also assisting in the process of picking the right songs and composers. “I started by choosing different languages I wanted to sing in, and then my voice teacher gave me the names of different composers and movements to look up,” Pappaterra said . “I started listening to some of her suggestions and I started by picking some of the ones I liked.”
With the event being held in Zug Recital Hall, it was expected that the recital would have a decent amount of people in the audience. However, it wasn’t predicted that the room the recital was held in would be filled to the brim. Family as well as students supporting their friends and fellow classmates showed up and cheered on Pappaterra and Wisler after each of their sets. To start the recital off, both Pappaterra and Wisler performed a duet by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Dr. Justin Badgerow accompanied each performer as the pianist for each set. Composers in sets included German composer Clara Schumann, Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, as well as French composer Francis Poulenc. To wrap up the show, Pappaterra and Wisler took the stage once again to perform one more song. This time, the two mezzo sopranos performed “I Will Never Leave You” from “Side Show.” After finishing the duet, the two received their loudest ovation yet, with members of the crowd even standing to celebrate the work, time and dedication that Pappaterra and Wisler put in. Looking back at the recital, Pappaterra thinks that out of all the songs she performed, two stand out from the rest. “My favorite songs to perform were probably the two duets I did with Mikella because we had so much fun staging them and singing together,” Pappaterra said.
After the recital had ended, both performers stood outside the room and met with those that came to see them sing. Family and friends were able to get pictures and tell each performer how much they enjoyed the show. The support that Pappaterra and Wisler had received was overwhelming and something that meant a lot to the both of them. “It meant so much to me to have everyone there,” Pappaterra said. “I was so overwhelmed by the love and support from all the people who showed up.”
For those that are interested in attending another recital hosted by the Department of Music, a list of upcoming shows and performances can be found on the Elizabethtown College website. Performances range from senior recitals to even orchestra concerts. These performances are open to the public and will be held in either Leffler Chapel or Zug Recital Hall.
