MUNCIE, Ind. – On Oct. 20, students of Dr. Mei Zhong, Professor of Voice at Ball State University, had their first performance of the year. Taking the stage at Sursa Performance Hall the students performed one-by-one, each having a solo set with multiple pieces per performer..
Many performers in the group were freshmen, most of whom had never performed on a Ball State stage before. Singing a variety of pieces, the students explored the emotional complexities of several classical songs.
“It brought out more of my emotional side, because a lot of my pieces are sad and emotional. For example, my Italian piece (No Longer Let Me Languish) it definitely brings out more emotion. That’s something I really struggle with, with singing, so it really helps,” student-performer Ryhanna Salter said.
For those performing for the first time as a vocal performance major, the experience is like no other. Freshman Miles Verpooten believes that Ball State is a new opportunity to explore his creative talents through a brand new lens.
“I think this first for me is about me finding my own voice that I’ve been working on. Back in high school, I’ve never taken a voice lesson, so I always conformed my voice with the voices around me. But this is an opportunity for me to show off the voice that I’ve grown and created myself through my voice lessons.”
The students saw this concert as a perfect opportunity to find their presence on a university stage, perfect their act, and prepare themselves for their next performance.
Contact Radley Richman with comments at radley.richman@bsu.edu.
