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Michael Ake was headed to his car moments after the second annual An Afternoon of Music student recital wrapped up in the Chapel on Sunday afternoon when someone asked McCallie’s chairman of performing arts how he thought the event went.
“It was great,” he said. “The students really showed off their talent with some talented performances.”
The event kicked off with sophomore pianist Cameron Kitts performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp Minor on the chapel’s grand piano—a complex piece that highlighted his focus and dedication.
When asked if this was his favorite piece, Kitts replied, “My favorite changes every year. Hopefully, we’ll get to do this recital again in the spring. We planned one last spring, but it didn’t happen.”
Following a moving trombone solo by junior Simon Monen, alto saxophonists Anderson Ivey, a Chattanooga Christian student, and Dublin James, a Chattanooga Center for the Arts student, took the stage for two songs—Canzonetta by Bernards and King’s Gigue. They had only a couple of weeks to put the duet together.
“I practiced my part for about a week,” said Ivey. “Then we got together for a few run-throughs to fine-tune it.”
James, an eighth grader at CCA, added, “I spent about three weeks on my part. It was a lot of fun to do this.”
As often happens whenever a McCallie music event takes over the Chapel, guitars were prominent in the production. Nathan Campbell of the Guitar Quartet went solo to perform Tango en Skai by Roland Dyens. Then junior Sid Cheemakoti delivered a lively version of Dyens’ Introduction and Danse from Saudade No. 3.
The Quartet then joined together—Colin Sanders and Walker White joining Campbell and Cheemakoti—to perform the expressive Pacific Coast Highway by Andrew York.
“We’ve been working on Pacific Coast Highway since early September,” said Cheemakoti. “We ran the piece all the way through for the first time last week, which was exciting.”
As strong as the Quartet’s performance was, Michael Sutton’s rendition of Handel’s Passacaglia brought a moment of calm to the piano, setting the Chapel stage for the final act of the recital—the VoCallie Ensemble.
Made up of sophomore Thomas Hardin, juniors Elijah Cooper, Benjamin Jeong, Ellison Lord, and Lincoln Olson, and seniors Nathaniel Johnston, Jack Schurr, and Jake Studley, the eight-man group performed two Billy Joel classics—And So It Goes and The Longest Time.
“We spent about a month getting those pieces ready,” said Lord, who won the GPS/McCallie Got Talent show last winter. “It’s been a great experience practicing these together. I hope we get to do this again in the spring.”
When asked what he enjoyed more, solo performances or playing with a group, Cheemakoti said:
“Playing solo is cool because I can show what I can do, but it’s kind of nerve-wracking since every note counts. But it feels great when it goes well. Playing with the quartet is a different vibe—I think more about how we all fit together in the piece.”
The Quartet welcomed two new members this year, Campbell and White, who quickly adapted to their roles.
“We had to adjust a bit,” said Cheemakoti. “This was our first time playing together in front of a crowd with the new lineup, so I think we’re only going to get better from here. Hopefully, we’ll show that at the spring recital.”
Sunday’s performance gave everyone a taste of what’s to come, and the spring recital should be just as memorable.
Watch the Student Recital online.
For more details about McCallie’s music programs, visit the McCallie Music Page.
Follow the latest performances and updates on the McCallie Music Instagram.
To find information about upcoming events and performances, check out the McCallie Events Calendar.
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