Music professors display talents at faculty concert

Musical chords rang out harmoniously and moved the subtlest part of a listener’s imagination, the teachers in the Music Department use their instruments for more than just teaching, they enthralled and captured the audience with their exquisite abilities.

To welcome the new school year, the Music Department held the second Annual Faculty Artists Concert on Sept. 13, where they demonstrated their passion in the Ragan Theater.

According to the Chair of the Music Department, Donna Fairbanks, the purpose of the event is to show how valuable the professors in the Music Department are by giving them the chance to play for their students, the community and for each other.

“We want to give them the opportunity to get used to the campus and for their students to really look and see who they are learning from, because these guys are really great,” Fairbanks said.

Most often, instructors can only show their knowledge and love of music when they are teaching or practicing alone. For those feeling passionate about music, teaching isn’t enough.

“We want to be able to express our joy beyond the dimension of teaching. This is really a good way for us to show off what we are able to do, to both the community and ourselves,” Fairbanks said.

According to Fairbanks, the concert is open to all Music faculty but specifically shows off the new department staff. It’s also to help them integrate into the campus.

“We have such a great collection of musicians–both students and of course teachers,” Fairbanks said.

Two new faculty members Chris Holmes and Isaac Hurtado, who sang “Pearl Fishers Duet” written by Georges Bizet, felt the campus’ Music Department as a whole is an exciting place to be.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with this group,” Holmes said. “They are all very professional.”

They expressed their enthusiasm in being a part of the vocal department.

“This Department has so many great artists, it’s getting ready to explode,” Hurtado said.