Graduate Music Recitals @ FTC:
What are They?

According to the FTC Music Division Chair, Dr. Jill Miller-Thorn, graduate recitals are an opportunity for students/artists to gain experience in programming and gauge how to react to an audience’s response to their work. Graduate students who are either composers and/or performers are required to do recitals. At the Master’s (M. M.) level, one recital is done at the completion of the degree. For the Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree, student performers are required to conduct three recitals while student composers must complete two recitals.

This past semester, there were five graduate recitals. First, T.W. Sample performed his third and last doctoral recital on October 26^th. He is a jazz pianist and organist who is currently working on his dissertation. Second, Suhee Choi gave her first doctoral composition recital on November 17^th. She featured her compositions for jazz quartet and included an amazing piano work. Third, Marcos Garcia performed his second doctoral recital on November 30^th. The second recital for the D.M.A. is programmed to display the artist in a collaborative setting. Marcos performed several duets, a guitar trio with a reader, three jazz trio pieces and a vocal collaboration.

Next, on December 12^th, Jason Giachetti performed his first doctoral percussion recital. His primary percussion instrument is marimba and the pieces he performed were extraordinary. A snare drum solo with tape, and a solo percussion piece for four drums rounded out his program. Finally, Jordan Kane put together a grand program for his Master’s recital. H began by performing a reflective piece that he wrote for several percussion instruments. Then, a snare drum piece, three pieces for a jazz quintet, and a collaboration with the Gospel choir ended the evening.

Considering the variety of instruments and musical styles, it is clear that the Five Towns College graduate students are learning, performing and experiencing higher education in the Music Division at a level we can all only describe as, “Awesome!”

Here is a link to one YouTube video of a FTC Graduate Music Recital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqGzVJMbFAc&feature=youtu.be

Congratulations to all the FTC Graduate Students on their recitals!!!