Classmate Concierto

NOV. 20

The Pierce College Student Success Committee presents Safe Zone, a discussion promoting LGBTQ awareness. The discussion will be held between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in BUS 3218.

Pierce College Thursday Concert Series focuses on the talents among us

ETHAN ROMAN Reporter

@Ethan_Romanoff

Astaple of the Pierce College Thursday Concert Series, the student concert, brought out Pierce’s musically inclined to offer a sound of the campus.

Five acts made up the student concert, which was composed of a mixture of original and interpreted songs. Most of the performers, made up of students, faculty and locals, are veteran guests to the concert series.

“If I didn’t have long underwear on, I would be so dead right now. #pierceProbs”

-@jeshizaemon

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-@madsmishell

Faculty member Frank Garvey and Stephanie Jones kicked things off with Quincy Jones’ “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”. The concert hall was temporarily transformed into a dim, smoky bar, as Garvey’s bluesy piano licks and Jones’ soulful tone set the mood. The duet made a soulful stamp to set the tone of the afternoon and got the audience comfortable and ready for more.

Jay Lawton and Priscilla Taylor brought the tone up to a light and playful level with their rendition of Paul Hindemith’s first movement of “Flute Sonata”. A stark contrast from the sultry blues before, Taylor’s classical piano and Lawton’s fluttering flute briefly suspended the reality of the chilly weather outside and brought the concert hall into an early and flourishing spring.

The only first-time performer at this student concert was Gwendolyn Kudra Billings, who delighted the audience with an original song called “Hounds & Hunters” in which she showcased her ukulele skills. The indie, non-traditional ukulele music was an insightful take on popular folk music.

“I’ve had other performances, but this is my first time playing in a [setting] like this,” Billings said.

Billings’ soft tones and delicate tunes were a charming addition to the afternoon.

David Durrani, who always bring original songs to the student concerts, took the stage with the confidence one would expect from a practicing musician. His original this time, “Fatal Attractions” was bold and emotional; typical of Durrani’s style. Durrani’s powerful voice and enthusiastic guitar playing could easily fill a large audience, unamplified.

This performance, however, was amplified. It made for the loudest performance of the concert. You could tell, this was how Durrani liked it, and if the nodding heads and subtle foot stomps of the audience were an indication, they agreed with Durrani.

Taylor, who played with Lawton earlier, returned to the stage with Bruce Salyer on saxophone to perform two movements from Jacques Ibert’s “Concertino Da Camera”, which Salyer noted is easily the most requested classical saxophone piece there is. This is due to its unusual and experimental nature. During the piece, Salyer actually plays his saxaphone into Taylor’s piano, creating an ominous echo of his notes.

“It’s the poor man’s way to create reverb without electricity,” joked Sayler.

It was certainly the most unique