Luke Evan Hamilton Senior Recital
April 25, 2026 4PM Trinity Lutheran Church
Collinsworth School of Performing Arts
Luke Evan Hamilton, piano/composition
Program
THE MALL OF THE UNIVERSE: a Cabaret of Existential Dread
This recital is presented under the direction of Dr. Glenn Pickett in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the B.A. in Music degree.
I’m Luke Evan Hamilton, a graduating senior recitalist at California Baptist University. My Bachelor of Arts in Music oPered me the opportunity to study privately with experts who believe in my growth. I study composition with Dr. Glenn Pickett, piano in the classical tradition with Dr. Andres Jaramillo, piano in the jazz tradition with Professor J. Michael O’Neal, and piano as accompaniment with Dr. Jennifer Cruz. As a culmination of these ePorts, I’m honored to present a short musical I wrote for this event entitled the Mall of the Universe: a Cabaret of Existential Dread. My performance as pianist and bandleader in the cabaret demonstrates my commitment to all these areas of study. After attending Orange County School of the Arts, I fell oP the map. Usually, a person experiences intoxication when they come of age, and then it becomes an occasional feature of a healthy life. For me, it was not so. I was obsessed with the feeling and spent all my time in it. The ePect on my psyche was disastrous, and I lost both community and identity. I went fitfully freefalling in a whirlwind of confusion and angst. Suddenly, five years ago there was a moment of profound clarity, and it stopped. My family took me in and made me whole, and my church lifted my spirit, even though I felt undeserving of these gifts. Several years before I began study at California Baptist University, Dr. Pickett invited me to study with him. He took seriously my dreams for the future and demanded I invest in my talents. He oPered a mentorship built on inspiration and servant leadership, and I learned to be obedient to my passions. They say when the student is ready, the teacher shall appear, and my relationship with Dr. Pickett prepared me to study at an institution full of teachers who are likewise spiritual giants—I am blessed now that many teachers have appeared in my life. I invite you to celebrate with me, because the work I am allowed to do in this life is work that brings me utmost fulfillment. Ecclesiastes 3:13 says “It is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.” My life is full, and I am fulfilled in my work that brings you this event these things make this verse ring in my ears with truth.
ENSEMBLE
Vicktor Pargas – bass
Christian St. Marseille – drums
Randy Plummer – tenor saxophone
Luke Behrendt – vocals
Oscar Cardoso – trumpet/flugel
Rey Soza-Sandoval – soprano/alto saxophone
Rachel Rogstad – vocals
Winfield Tuttle – vocals
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am fortunate to have peer musicians of talent and dedication. This lights a fire under me, and I find myself inspired to meet them in joyful spirit of collaboration and competition. My rhythm section is also my trio, and we rehearse regularly. Improvising together so often means their expressive idioms are a part of my vocabulary. I felt free to write a bespoke piece of music for this recital because I know I can rely on Vicktor Pargas (bass) and Christian St. Marseille (drums) to lay it down. It’s hard to breathe life into something if you don’t know how to blow. These guys can blow. Oscar Cardoso (trumpet and flugel), Rey Soza-Sandoval (soprano and alto saxophone) and Randy Plummer (tenor saxophone) are formidable talents. It is a thrilling responsibility to write music that allows these fine artists to play freely and sound great. I’m grateful to them for giving me that kind of work. All that said, I think the reason you’ll love the cabaret is the actors. They’re forces of nature, and it’s thrilling to watch them turn my songs for robots into something else something with character, virtue, with soul. Rachel Rogstad (as Serenity) is my classmate, colleague, and friend, and I always sing better if I just try to sound like her. Luke Behrendt (as 0.4Seer) is a fellow composer, and I’m grateful for his encouragement in my writing, as well as for his talent as a performer. I hold Winfield Tuttle (as the Investigator) in my heart as a role model; when I act like him, I’m spiritually sound. I’m here because of the support of my community. My family raises people to passion, integrity, and love of people and their arts, and I live to honor those values. My church is a fixture of generosity and kindness, and they give me permission to serve them in creativity. My friends are keen, stalwart, and fast.