Sometimes music can just be what one needs to lighten up their day. When it comes to college life, it seems that everything can get a little stressful. Whether it’s because of homework or just work in general, one good method for many to relax is with a bit of music. Luckily, if it’s the classical taste of instruments like the piano or the French horn that you’re looking for in your music, then the UW-Whitewater Music Department covers it. 

One particular event live streamed last Saturday, Feb. 27 was a student recital within the Greenhill Center of the Arts – an event which I had the pleasure of watching from the comfort of my apartment. The student at the center of the entire recital was Miranda Johnson, who plays the French horn while being assisted by her fellow students and staff. They play other musical instruments like the piano, assisting in all but one solo piece by Johnson.

Talking about the event as a whole, I enjoyed every piece that was played during the recital. If I were to choose a certain piece that I enjoyed more than the others it would have to be “Phoenix,” which was created by Anthony de Lorenzo. As Johnson herself said before playing it, “It’s one of the most gorgeous pieces I ever heard.” And in this regard I’d have to agree. The musical piece had a certain cinematic feel to it as the French horn played beautiful tunes that you could swear you heard once in a movie.

While this is my first time experiencing a student recital, it went off without a hitch. The music was wonderful to listen to, and everyone who participated seemed to be proud of their work. While one might miss the experience of seeing events like these in person, I personally feel that the livestream didn’t really take away from the experience as a whole. Outside of some choppy audio, the recital did what it needed to do: bring in an audience without bringing in a literal audience.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the French horn recital. Each musical piece seemed to have a hopeful and optimistic feel as they were being played. It was a welcoming touch of music that made my day even better. If anyone else would like to hear any of the music being played by the university Music Department, they still have plenty of recitals and much more planned for the semester on their website https://www.uww.edu/coac/academics/music/events-community