Keyboard concert displays students’ skills

The sound of classical music played by students under the direction of Brooks Hafey, assistant professor of piano, filled the ears of over 60 people in the Memorial Hall Auditorium. Both students taking private lessons with Hafey and students in the Keyboard Ensemble class preformed Sunday.

“The students did really well,” Hafey said. “It was a great accomplishment and they really played well.”

As the lights dimmed, the crowd became hushed and the students began playing several familiar songs from Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and No. 2. Songs such as “Morning Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King” were enjoyed by all in attendance. Other songs of the first act included “Anitra’s Dance” and “Peer Gynt’s Homecoming.”

Hafey also said that the students have been preparing since August.

“We meet twice a week, two hours a week, since the beginning of the semester,” Hafey said.

After a brief intermission, the students that are members of the Keyboard Ensemble class returned to the stage to perform several duets and one quartet.

Several numbers from German composer Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance filled the auditorium.

The final act, “Invitation to the Dance,” by Carl Maria von Weber, was performed by four of the students at once.

Hafey explained before the students began that the piece represented a man finally earning a dance with a woman, after several rejections.

The pair danced for several minutes before parting ways. After the song concluded, the students returned to the stage one last time to take a bow and receive a well-earned round of applause.

Hafey also mentioned that the Keyboard Ensemble is for any student in the school with piano background and they can participate in duets and collaborative music with other pianists.

The next event will be the Wind Symphony and Community Band, 7 p.m., Dec. 3, in the Memorial Hall Auditorium.