Date of Submission

Spring 2016

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Music

Project Advisor 1

John Esposito

Project Advisor 2

James Bagwell

Abstract/Artist's Statement

My final concert at Bard was truly a reflection of the last four years molding and shaping me into the woman and artist that I am today. I had a variety of songs that revealed important sections of my life and moments of pain, joy, and strength I have experienced.

In the first song, I conquered my anxiety of accompanying myself by playing my own, twisted rendition of “Summertime” while singing. This piece only featured me, which was a testament to the skills I have gained while studying music at Bard that have allowed me to stand on my own as an artist.

The next piece was a duet in which I took a poem by Langston Hughes and set it to a simple bass line. While this piece was very simple musically, I filled the space with vocal dynamics. Using a combination of the lyrics from the poem and scatting, skills I have gained from the Jazz Vocal department, the song became a beautifully simple but poignant performance.

The third piece was an acapella, gospel-inspired song that I wrote to the sound of seven male voices. This song was inspired by the years I spent singing in my church choir and loving gospel music. Not only was this piece a reflection of my ability to sing without instrumentation keeping me on pitch, but, more importantly, it was a profession of my faith being the rock in my life, at and away from Bard.

The fourth piece was a cover of Sade’s “Lover’s Rock” that was picked in honor of family, friends, and my significant other who love the song itself. I added my own twist, of course, with a guitar solo and different electronic sound effects thanks to Carlos Valdez. This song was significant for me because of the universal emphasis on all kinds of love being the anchor when things get rough.

My fifth piece was an original song dedicated to the triumphs I have had over the past three years while being in a relationship at Bard, showing both vulnerability and strength in dealing with threats to the sanctity and sanity of my love life.

The final piece in my senior project was the largest song, including a 30-person choir of friends that I have loved performing with and getting to know over the last four years, as well as a full band of my peers. This song talked about continuously pushing on with unconditional love.

This concert was a testament to everything I have learned and worked on over the last four years, and left me with a sense of readiness to end this chapter and begin the next.

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