On Aug. 25 two Fresno City College music instructors and a guest performer walked onstage at the OAB auditorium in perfectly pressed tuxedos and bowed to the audience before diving into a classical recital.
The recital, put together by instructor and pianist, John Hord, was meant for music students who have to write recital reports for class. It also serves as enjoyment for other students, faculty and guests who appreciate the material.
The material, they performed that Friday consisted of work by Franz Liszt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Franz Schubert. All of the material, Hord says, takes years of training to attain the level of skill that is needed to adequately perform classical pieces like these.
An evident example was when FCC instructor, John Morrice, captured everyone’s attention with his viola during the first piece, “Romance oubliée” by Liszt.
After the initial dry open of the first piece, Hord welcomed the audience and made a brief introduction of the next few pieces. He also advised the music students in the auditorium to focus on the emotional and philosophical content of the Beethoven Sonata that followed.
A positive effect that almost always comes from doing these types of recitals on campus, in Hord’s opinion, is that the music students who have to attend the recitals usually pass the class and keep coming to the recitals even after they’ve completed the music course.
“It is fun, a lot of work, and really enjoyable,” said Hord, who even made jokes about having to sit on a phone book atop his piano stool during the recital.
A few pieces in, guest performer and tenor vocalist, Kirk Anderson, joined Hord for a rendition of “Ave Maria.” Singing so serenely, Anderson made it seem as though it were the most effortless thing he could do in the world.
The purpose that both instructors, Hord and Morrice, find for these recitals is that they try to open the doors to new and different styles of music for students who otherwise may not have ever known existed.
“I’m hoping students find it entertaining, although it’s a different genre. I’m hoping it broadens their horizon and they appreciate the effort. Maybe they’ll even listen on their own later,” said Anderson, who teaches math and computer science for the Fresno Unified School District, and is a friend of Hord’s.
The Triad performers ended the recital on a comical note with “Blackbird’s Courting Song,” which called for Anderson to animate and project what the vocals meant to express.
“I spread my wings and fly away,” sang Anderson as he imitated a bird doing just that, for the finale of the recital.
“It can better their lives,” Hord said, “Every concert is education.” He should know, as he has been teaching at FCC for 20 years, and first got into classical music at the age of 8. Clearly, classical music, just like any other genre, has the power to impact anyone’s life if they are willing to let it be.
