Each year, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Music puts on an Honors Recital, a way to recognize and support outstanding students within the department.
Students are nominated to audition for the recital in the fall semester during their final jury, and a panel of professors vote for auditions they deem to be exceptional to perform at the Honors Recital.
“To me…an exceptional performance will have emotion, it will have deeper meaning, it will show evidence of creativity and interpretive capacity. I’m thinking, ‘What do I want to hear an artist do?’” explained Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Jon Ailabouni, who is the director of this year’s Honors Recital.
Previously, the Honors Recital had taken place in late March or early April, with students auditioning during departmental recitals held each Friday.
Last spring, faculty voted to move the Honors Recital earlier in the semester to Feb. 16. This left less time for students to audition during departmentals, resulting in the auditions being held all on the same night: Friday, Feb. 7.
“[It] creates a limitation, but my hope is that it helps students take that audition more seriously,” said Ailabouni.
Ailabouni continued, “The other benefit of doing the audition all at once…is that students don’t have to keep practicing their piece and keep it at a certain level for weeks or months. This allows them to focus their effort now…and then we’ve got the remainder of the semester to focus on other projects.”
“I very much enjoy that it’s kind of over with not too long after the audition,” said Colin Miller, a third-year music education student and vocal performer for this year’s recital. “[Last year] since I got into the recital, my preparation was re-looking at [my pieces] every so often, making sure I don’t lose [them]…now, I can move onto the new things I need to learn.”
One way the Honors Recital supports music students is by providing scholarships to returning students. Those who are nominated to audition receive a scholarship, and students who are selected to perform in the Honors Recital receive a larger scholarship.
However, the impact of the Honors Recital goes beyond just financial support during a student’s time at UWL.
“I’m applying for music grad schools, and I got all my auditions for all the schools I applied…I feel like part of that might have been because I’ve had these performance opportunities here,” explained Andrew McDonald, a fourth-year piano performance and piano pedagogy student who will be performing in this year’s recital. “I think everybody can do [the Honors Recital]…I think it’s about the dedication and the time and the resources.”
“I like to think of the Honors Recital as showcasing some of the best accomplishments that our students are making in their lessons and in their performance,” said Ailabouni. “I hope it’s a good challenge for the students that are nominated and then audition…when you’re working on music, it’s nice to be challenged.”
Part of the audition and recital process’ legacy is everyone involved is able to grow, from the professors to the audience members and especially the students.
“I never know how I’m doing when I’m performing, and I always think, ‘I can be better, I can do better,’ and [the Honors Recital] is…a nod that…you’re going in the right direction,” said Miller. “It makes me push myself even more to that direction…I think a lot of what I get out of it is…being able to watch my peers perform…I really enjoy that aspect of it.”
“I think it’s unique because you get to see [everyone]…I always think it’s fun to come support my friends,” said Molly Moberg, a fourth-year kinesiology pre-med student who was in the audience for the auditions. “One thing that is going to be fun is to see…the growth and what they improve on for the Honors Recital.”
When asked if he had any advice for future performers, Ailabouni said to perform with heart and find the music within yourself.
“Sometimes we can get in our heads about, ‘What does so-and-so think is beautiful?’ That will stifle the creativity and the expression in the performance,” said Ailabouni. “There’s an infinite number of perfect performances.”
The Music Department Honors Recital takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16 in Annett Recital Hall. The performers will include Andrew McDonald, William Murphy, Colin Miller, Sasha Forbes, Ann David, Danica Lee and Jon Heck.
