The first of three nightly performances held over the weekend by Glendale College’s music department graced the audience with melodic harmony.

Students from the Applied Music Program showcased their talents on Friday in the auditorium for a recital they had been preparing for all semester. Robert Gates, who played the piano as the recital class accompanist, joined several of the performers on stage.

Jeanine Colini, along with Gates, began the night by performing George Frideric Handel’s rendition of “Sonata in D minor.” Colini’s oboe pierced the air with crisp, deep sounds and alternated in speed between moderate and presto.

Rounding out the woodwind group of instruments, Michael Irwin played the bassoon in Georg Philipp Telemann’s “Sonata in F minor,” and John W.P. Stork played the flute in Mozart’s “Concerto in G major, K. 313.”

In the first vocal performance of the night, Logan Clark hit the high notes in “Seguidilla Dolorosa de Una Enamorada” (“Painful Song of a Girl in Love” by Luis Mison). She sang with confidence and poise in a song about a tormented girl who has been left by her lover. Gates complemented Clark’s voice to make for a strong performance.

Other vocalists included Min Sung Huh, who performed “On the Street Where You Live,” scored by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and Sarah Moore, who exemplified “Grief and Chaos” in Mozart’s piece from “The Abduction of the Seraglio.”
While both performances were solid, “Grief and Chaos” came to life as Moore acted in accordance with its theme. She effectively portrayed a young woman in suffrage by making despairing facial expressions and despondent hand gestures.

Hayk Vardazaryan performed “Elegy” on the piano, a somber piece written by Arno Babadjanyan. Vardazaryan did a wonderful job of changing speeds and echoing the notes, resulting in a melody characterized by both beauty and gloom.

For Elya Hovhannisyan’s performance of “Concerto in A minor, Op. 16,” Gates joined her for a dual act on the piano. Yuko Shiina, performing “The Fountains of the Villa d’Este,” showed grace and dexterity with her fingers running up and down the keys.

Performing Frederic Chopin’s “Scherzo, Op. 31 in B flat minor,” Varand Adamian’s piece was the finale of the night, a fitting end to a night of impressive performances.
However, the best performance belonged to Esther Yang on the cello in Joseph Haydn’s “Concerto No. 2 in D Major,
Op. 101.” While it was her music that grabbed the audience’s attention, her poise and aura literally took center stage.

All in all, it was a wonderful application of music by a talented group of ambitious students.