Ten piano students graced the stage of Elfers Hall at the Piano Studio Recital on April 13, presenting pieces carefully selected to complement their abilities and preferred styles. 

Mr. Fabio Witkowski, head of the visual and performing arts department and instructor in piano, said, “The recital included a range of very complex pieces, starting with one of the most difficult sonatas written by Joseph Haydn, then proceeding into challenging pieces composed by Liszt, Schumann, Chopin, Scriabin, and Prokofiev. This recital could easily have been presented as a Senior class recital at any music college!” 

The first performer, Victoria Fang ’26 said, “Opening the recital was exhilarating, since the piece I played, Sonata in E Flat Major by Hadyn, had an overall bubbly and even humorous mood, which hopefully entertained the audience.” Pianist Emma Liu ’26 said, “It was truly amazing to hear how everyone’s pieces came together after hearing my peers practicing in the music wing for the past few weeks. The sun setting around Elfers Hall created a serene ambience that made the music even more enjoyable.” 

Liu performed Concert Étude No.1, S.145 “Waldesrauchen” by Franz Liszt, a piece characterized by fast and lightly played notes. The title means “murmurs of the forest” in German. 

After the recital, Mr. Witkowski expressed his gratitude towards the students and said, “Everyone performed with great control, flair and confidence. Although some pieces were almost ten minutes long, all students played the very difficult repertoire from memory.”