My professor, the singer Faculty showcases musical talent in concert

ZACK ROME Reporter @datrome

Those who teach can, in fact, do.

About a half dozen Pierce College faculty members showed their vocal and instrumental skills at the Thursday music concert on the Performing Arts Mainstage on May 11. Students were treated to classical songs performed by their music professors. Attendees listened to different classical pieces from all over the world.

Music instructor Neal Brostoff partnered with ASO to bring the only faculty concert of the year.

“We’re happy to make concerts like this possible to students and give them something that they often have no connection to because of the lack of exposure to classical music,” Brostoff said.

Brostoff collaborated with each of the performers in the concert.

“All I did was light the match, and all of us put our heads together to come up with music ideas,” Brostoff said. “The result is what you saw today."

Ferhiz Brewer, director of the Applied Music Program, opened the show with a piano sonata from Alberto Ginastera, who composed Argentinian classical music.

Brewer said she had fun playing a piece from a musician she loved, despite finding the piece rather difficult.

“Ginastera was unbelievably talented as far as his rhythms were concerned. I love playing his music because his rhythms are so challenging,” Brewer said. “There's a lot of hand-crossing going on in this piece, and additionally, there was also layering of the hands, so that makes it that much more difficult."

Music professor Garineh AvakianAkkus, along with Elizabeth Wilson on violin and Frank Garvey on piano, performed two pieces from German composer Johannes Brahms.

Adjunct Professor James Bergman performed with Frank Garvey and Stephen Piazza.

The trio performed a piece by Mikel Rouse, who specialized in a style called minimalism, according to Bergman.

“In minimalism music, you change notes subtly throughout a song. It is very difficult, and the amount of focus is very different," Bergman said. “This kind of music, you have to mentally relax while being mentally focused. It is something I never learned in school.”

The concert ended with Liana Stepanyan singing three songs from Alexander Krein, as well as another piano performance from Brewer, Brostoff and Garvey.

Sophomore Sarah Beasley attended the concert with her friends.

“It was very intriguing because we see the teachers teach, but we don’t really get to see them perform," Beasley said. “It was really inspiring for me because in my head, I’m thinking how long it will take for me to reach that level."

The final concert will be on May 18 at the Performing Arts Mainstage, featuring the students in the applied music program.

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