By: Zenab Saeed ~Staff Writer~

The Xavier University Department of Music and Theatre presented the student recital, which featured vocal performances from juniors Laura DeBrunner, Griff Bludworth, Elizabeth Rancourt, Brandon Langjahr and Mary Bond. The performance was held on the evening of Feb. 14 at Bellarmine Chapel. Each performance was accompanied by Jan Corrothers on piano.

The hour-long recital began with an incredible performance of Mozart’s “Una donna a quindici anni” by DeBrunner. Bludworth followed with performances of Mozart’s “Abendemphindung,” a leisurely piece that highlighted his baritone vocal abilities, and “Non piu andria,” a livelier piece that captivated audience members. Next, Rancourt beautifully sang Franz Schubert’s “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen” with clarinet accompaniment by Eugene Marquis.

Langjahr followed with Robert Schuman’s “Die beiden Grenadiere” and “Windmung,” both of which were met by immense awe and applause from the audience. Bond sang “Una voce poco fa” from Gioacchino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” and her performance was truly beautiful.

Rancourt then sang two songs by Richard Strauss followed by DeBrunner, who sang three songs by Roger Quilter, and Bond, who sang five songs by Ned Rorem.

The final song was Langjahr’s remarkable performance of Gene Scheer’s “Lean Away,” which was work and passion of all five students was evident in their performances. At the conclusion of the recital, the five talented students graciously thanked their voice instructor, Harriet Beebe Arrasmith. “What you heard on Saturday evening is the progress we have made together in the last two and a half years,” Arrasmith said.

“This is an extraordinary group of students who I enjoy teaching very much. They are all very talented and always up to more challenging and creative repertoire. The most amazing thing is that they can ‘pull this off ’ in the stressful environment that they exist in, but then, this is what Xavier University attracts: the very best. I would like to add that none of this would have been possible without the support of my esteemed colleagues, Jan Corrothers and Eugene Marquis, who both playedbrilliantly.”

For more information on student recitals, performances and other events, visit xavier.edu/music