The Fine Arts department at STU brought an outside perspective for its music classes last week.
Geoffrey Duce and Jessica McCormack, both professors at Indiana University South Bend, were invited to host two masterclasses and a recital. They brought years of performance and experience to an intimate setting for not just the music students, but anyone who cared to join.
Duce, a heavily accented, piano playing Scot, has performed all over the world and with the likes of the Edinburgh Philharmonic, the New York Sinfonietta and the Olympia Symphony Orchestra.
McCormack, a Saint John born soprano, has been at Carnegie Hall, is a soloist at the Boston Early Music Festival and a part of several classic operas.
The masterclasses are a fairly informal way to get in the heads of top-notch musicians. They are also an opportunity for students to perform a piece for the guests, who then critique it in front of a live audience. Duce shed light on finding the right hustle and flow when bringing life to the notes on the page. McCormack reminded the singers that, contrary to popular belief, breathing requires a lot of attention.
The classes are a fun and unique time to learn for everyone involved.
These events are hidden gems that the Fine Arts department brings in several times a year. They are especially nice when you forget they are happening, enter your class and have world renowned musicians all set up and ready to teach you something. What a pleasant surprise.
The masterclasses reflect the hidden gem quality of the music program at STU as a whole. The program is 10-15 students strong with full-time teachers who are renowned and experienced in their own right.
The secret is out. I ruined everything.
