The University Trio, a combination of the piano, clarinet
The performance began with an introduction from professor of Music and pianist Dr. Elaine Harriss. Harriss was joined by clarinetist Dr. Christa Frye, a professor at Bethel University and flutist Sandra Cox, a lecturer at UTM, to make up the trio.
The first composition, “Pieces of Eight” by Clifford Crawley, sounded like the sea and life by the sea. Each piece had a different characteristic, from sounds of ocean waves to even a drunken sailor shanty, which the trio performed greatly.
Next, “Like the First Bird” by Gwyneth Walker, was performed. This piece was a sonata that imitated bird sounds.
Harriss provided the background and rhythm with the piano, which carried throughout the entire composition.
Frye and Cox played in a back-and-forth, conversational sequence. Each played their role with Frye playing the deeper sounds on the clarinet and Cox playing the higher-pitched sounds on the flute.
The third composition, “Scenes from Tom Sawyer” by Sy Brandon, was led by narrator Kevin Shell, Director of the Vanguard Theater. Shell provided a background that detailed each scene the trio performed.
This composition had sounds that resembled life in early America as well as the different themes explained by the narrator. The trio would go from a joyous tone to a darker tone based on events that happened in the story. Each piece resembled the different background events that the narrator explained to set up the composition.
“Czardas” by Jerome Naulais was the last composition performed on the night. This piece had a foreign sound and was based on Hungarian culture. All three instruments were combined to produce a fast-paced, uplifting tune that ended the night perfectly.
“The whole performance was great to me. I’m glad I was able to apart of it and see it from a different perspective than the audience,” said Jacob Hargrove, a senior Music Performance major from Memphis. Hargrove served as the page-turner for Harriss and viewed the entire performance assisting from the piano.
The University Trio delivered a great performance that combined different themes from sea life to Hungarian culture. The trio showed their ability to coordinate and combine the piano, clarinet and flute to produce a great sound. Each played their instrument respectively in a way that showcased their talents as musicians.
