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| TAMMY ISOLA / Scroll |
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| Sarah Monson plays for a full audience at Grand Pianos Live Friday. Some of the performers wrote and performed their own music. |
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It was a night of amazing abilities and entertainment for those who attended Grand Pianos Live on Friday night in the Kirkham Auditorium.
Acts ranged from the classically trained such as Beethoven, to contemporary artists like Kelly Clarkson. It was an eclectic mix that captivated the audience for an hour and a half and struck a chord (no pun intended) with all spectators, regardless of musical preference.
“There was serious and then there was funny, and the combination of the two made it really good,” said Naylan Haslam, a freshman from Airdrie, Canada in reference to music.
With a blend between the two, each performer brought a different message, something distinct and unique to Grand Pianos Live. Like Eldon Harris who sang and played the 1950s hit “Earth Angel” upside down on his back while the audience roared with laughter.
Students like Ruth Blacoe and Mandy Sittler wrote and performed their own pieces. Learning based on her own personal experiences through hardship, Sittler wrote “Rise Up,” an inspirational piece about overcoming adversity in life.
“I thought [“Rise Up”] was such a powerful message when it came to me by the Spirit,” Sittler said.
Each performance was brief but engaging, and it exposed audience members to a wide spectrum of the well-known classics.
Especially the forgotten classics like “Tarantella,” and Top 40 hits “Listen to Your Heart” performed by 20 to Life and “Because of You” performed by The Stylist with lead singer Tasha Rollins. Each song created a specific mood and displayed the cultivated talents of each performer.
“It just blows my mind how dedicated they (the students) are and that that there is so much talent at this school and no one really knows about it. It’s these events that give them the opportunities to display that,” said Brandon Jamison, a junior from Davidsonville, Md. and Grand Pianos Live organizer.
Students, performers and those involved behind the scenes agreed that Grand Pianos Live gave those students an opportunity to share something meaningful, original, funny or classic with fellow students.
