“It’s really fun and special to play pieces with my peers,” said Meredith, “We really enjoy playing together!”
Another duet being played in both recitals is one with both Meredith and Ben.
“The song Meredith and I are playing is supposed to resemble a flight,” said Ben, “It sounded very nice and so we really wanted to play it. It gave us both lots of opportunities to be very musical.”
Ben also explained how thankful he was to have a chance to perform on his own.
“It feels good to have it done and off of my plate,” he said, “It was amazing getting to see people from every part of my life at my recital. In our lifetimes, we are given several opportunities to show off our skills. Whether it be through athletics, art, or something entirely different, our gifts often shine through how and what we perform. For seniors Ben Geary and Meredith Sundberg, their gift is music, and their opportunity to perform their gift is through their senior recitals.
While performing a senior recital may sound like something that comes naturally to such gifted people, both Sundberg and Geary explained that it’s a longer process than many people realize. Many songs they play are songs they’ve been working on for a long time.
“One song I’m playing on my clarinet is 21 minutes long,” Sundberg said, “I played the second movement as a 9th grader and my grandma accompanied me. It was very special to me, which is why I chose to play it for my recital!”
Other songs are chosen simply just to challenge the musician.
“Choosing the music for my saxophone recital was a mix between choosing songs that would challenge me and choosing songs that would be entertaining,” said Geary, “One of my favorite songs was heavily swayed by what the audience enjoyed the most, even though it was tough to prepare.”
Even though the preparation may be lengthy, both musicians expressed how much they enjoyed preparing for their recitals.
“Even though they are all different, the more I play them, the more I love them,” said Sundberg. “The variation helps to stretch my techniques as I continue to learn.”
Some pieces in both of their recitals are ones that are duets with another musician. One of Sundberg’s songs is a clarinet and flute duet with sophomore flutist and music education major, Haley Jensen.
For Sundberg, who is an elementary and music education major, this isn’t her first rodeo. Being her second recital, which will take place October 11 at one p.m., Meredith shared why it has been such an important factor to her college experience.
“It’s different playing in a practice room than it is performing in front of people,” she said, “It’s overall just a good experience to have under your belt. I still need all the time I have left to prepare, but the closer it gets, the more excited I get, too.”
Both Geary and Sundberg expressed how much they have enjoyed being a part of the NW music experience in their time here.
“The music tours were my favorite part of my college experience,” said Geary, “It gave me many opportunities to enjoy spending time with friends while also doing something we love to do: play music!”
Sundberg expressed how much she has enjoyed being able to lift others up through music and her own leadership skills.
“Being a TA has been very important to my life and how I’ve grown over the past few years,” she said, “It’s also helped me to create very special and memorable relationships.”
Both musicians explained that after graduation, they hope to stay in the Midwest area. Sundberg explained that, while she doesn’t want to start off teaching music, it will always be a big part of her life.
“I want to include music in my classroom, even if I’m not teaching a music class,” she said, “I will also never stop playing my clarinet.”
For both Geary and Sundberg, their recitals are about more than just music. It contains an entire lifetime of storytelling they’ll never forget, even if it ends with the bittersweet melody of goodbye.
Meredith Sundberg and Ben Geary.
