Sunday, Nov. 16, McCray Hall opened up for a music recital by Pittsburg State University music history and horn professor, Dr. Marie Smith on the French horn accompanied by piano professor, Isaac Hernandez, on the piano. The recital was titled “Heights of Adventure,” which gave an afternoon that was centered around the musical depictions of energetic heights around the world. The material was promoted as a high-energy performance for fans of movie scores and mountain folk traditions. Some works were inspired by the French Alps, the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and the Scottish Highlands.
The event featured a total of six pieces, and although the program focused on Smith, the concert opened with a student performance of “Summer Song” by Felix Mendelssohn. The piece was presented by a horn quartet made up of Kynlee McCulloch, a freshman majoring in music education and horn performance; Rocky Reed, a sophomore majoring in music education and horn performance; Theo Lloyd, a freshman majoring in music education; and Kiersten Kebert, a freshman majoring in music education.
Brandon Ments, a community member, said he appreciated the event’s sound.
“I always really like the music shows they put on in here,” Ments said. “The room just echoes the great parts of the music. I thought the horn and piano were great, they did so well.”
Nicholas Scherson, a community attendee, said that he enjoyed the event.
“I really enjoyed the show,” Scherson said. “You don’t hear the horn by itself a lot, I think. She did really good; she was really into playing it which honestly made it better. The guy on piano did awesome too.”
Joshua Anderson, a community member, said the event was different than his typical listening habits; however, he still found it to be engaging.
“It was kind of an interesting performance,” Anderson said. “I really liked it, but it’s just not the kind of thing I usually listen to. They both did incredibly well, and I think that they definitely deserved a bigger audience.”
Anderson also commented on how the large organ in the background helped to affect the sound of the recital.
“That organ in the background did kind of amplify the horn and piano, just like the colors and stuff I think,” Anderson said.
The composers of the program included Eugène Bozza, Dan Locklair Frazelle, Gina Gillie, and Aleksandra Likhuta.
For the final piece of the event, “Three Paintings for Clarinet, Horn, and Piano” by Gina Gillie, included clarinet and saxophone professor, Dr. Joanne Britz, on clarinet.