Audiences were awed when UT Martin student Kelsey Vandergriff performed her Senior French Horn Recital at the Blankenship Recital Hall on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.
Vandergriff’s performance displayed excellent artistic value and mastery as she performed pieces of varying genres and time periods. She started her recital by performing the works of classical composers, only to transition further into the 20th and 21st centuries as it continued. The arrangements performed included, Horn Concerto no. 4 in Eb K. 495 (1786) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Nocturno op. 7 (1864) by Franz Strauss, Blues and Variation For Monk (1982) by David Amram, Puttin’ on the Ritz (1927) by Irving Berlin and arranged by Stephen Roberts, Cloudbreak (2021) by James Naigus, Visions (2021) by James Naigus and Tough Love (2024) by Marcus Norris.
When performing the classical pieces, Vandergriff was accompanied by collaborative pianist Dr. Chan Mi Jean. As part of the “The Oxford Street Brass Quintet,” she was accompanied by James McGregor and Jaden Shreeve on the trumpet, Josh Kern on the trombone and Bradley Barlow on the tuba. Fellow French horn player Marcus Watson also joined her during the course of the recital.
Kelsey Vandergriff will go on to study Performance while in Graduate School.
Ethan Tanner is a young but gifted journalist. I applaud him and his family for making his career at UT Martin a success.