On Thursday, Oct 17, the music department at Elizabethtown College put on a recital in the Zug Recital Hall, featuring the hard-earned skill and talent of guitarist and music therapy major Michael Weir, aided by fellow music therapy major Rebecca Sauder. Weir, a senior, has studied guitar at Etown for the entirety of his college career and, at the recital, played a total of six major pieces with impressive variety, ranging from a classic Bach prelude to the classic hymn Amazing Grace by John Newton. Sauder, also a senior, is a classically trained soprano vocalist. She intended to share this recital for her degree but eventually rescheduled due to an accompanist’s conflicting schedule. Luckily for those present in the audience, she decided to perform alongside Weir regardless.
As the performance time of 7:30 p.m. inched closer, family and friends began pouring in, beaming with pride at the prospect seeing their loved ones display their abilities. Fellow music majors attended with friends, looking to support the seniors of the department and to see for themselves what a senior recital could look like. The lights dimmed, the crowd descended into reverential silence and Weir stepped onstage and began to work his magic with guitar in hand.
Prior to the show, Weir and Sauder opened up on the significance of the night for the both of them. Weir viewed the night as a way to give back.
“I’ve been playing the guitar since I was twelve,” Weir said. “I have a lot of compassion for other musicians and people in need.”
Given this, the choice of a music therapy degree was a no-brainer. The audience’s breath was collectively held in awe as towards the end of the night, Weir delivered a warbling, melancholy and yearning guitar arrangement of the hymn “Amazing Grace”. Using a fingerpicking technique, Weir kept a tight rhythm yet imbued the traditional piece with a loose, flowing ease.
“If you love the music, the work becomes less work. That’s something that I definitely had to realize in the beginning,” Weir said, acknowledging the sheer dedication and devotion needed to not only master an instrument but to perform well onstage.
As music therapy majors, devotion to the craft is not the only kind of devotion one needs to succeed. Sauder grew pensive when asked about her experiences in this field of study.
“This semester, I’ve had the privilege of working in hospice care at Masonic Village. Not only am I able to provide comfort for people walking towards death, but I get to have conversations with my residents that do not come along with any other kind of treatment,” she said.
This statement cuts straight to the heart of the act of “reciting” in the first place- to use music as a way to encourage vulnerability and comfort amongst each other.
“That’s why we are closing with the hymn ‘Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken.’ Faith is an extremely important part of our lives, and we knew we wanted to reflect that in the music performed,” Sauder said.
In this regard, consider the recital a smash success. Lila Hughes, a music major and sophomore that attended the recital, is quick to praise the emotional impact of both the performances and delivery of these compositions and hymns.
“Recitals show me that there are other people going through the same journey of improvement as I am,” Hughes said. She grew excited at the topic of Weir’s original composition that he played with the help of violinist Christy Drinks, “Wintertime at the Church.”
“I love composing my own pieces too,” she said. “When I do end up eventually performing for the music department, I know I’ll be doing it for people that think the things I think and understand performance the way I understand it.”
The symbiotic reactions between the musicians and the audience could not have been summed up better. Keep an eye out for upcoming Zug Hall recitals and come experience the talent of fellow Blue Jays for yourself!
