Senior Amber Bradley warms up her vocal cords during practice.
Amber Mehlhaf Bradley will perform her senior vocal recital this Sunday, Nov. 22, at 3 p.m. in Christ Chapel. Bradley studies voice under the direction of Emily Lodine, lecturer in music.
Bradley said there is variety in her program’s repertoire, including pieces from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras. Composers featured include Bach, Mozart and American composers Ned Rorem and Albert Hay Mallotte.
“There is such a broad variety,” Bradley said, “from sacred works to secular love songs and arias and everything in between.”
Her favorite piece from the recital is entitled “Senza Mamma” from the opera “Suor Angelica” by Giacomo Puccini.
“This song is sung about a woman who had an illegitimate child. After the child was born, the woman was forced to become a nun. When her aunt comes to visit her seven years later, she learns of her son’s death. It is a heart-gripping story,” Bradley said.
Guest musicians Laura Briggs, Andrew Klumpp and Richie Clark will accompany Bradley in her final piece of the recital, a short oratorio for a quartet. Bradley said, “This work is an upbeat, comical piece about different seasonings like curry and tarragon. I think the audience will really enjoy it.”
After graduating from Northwestern, Bradley plans on finding a teaching job in either elementary education, elementary music education or as a reading specialist.
With many members of her family being musicians, the influence of music was never far from Bradley.
“Music has always been a substantial part of my life,” Bradley said. “I enjoy singing and praising God with the gifts he has so graciously given me.”
Amber has a great love for music and the power it has. “Music is a great release for me. I enjoy turning on the radio and singing at the top of my lungs. It is very relaxing and enjoyable,” Bradley said.
Her favorite quote about music comes from Henry Ward Beecher: “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
