For the first time Xia Violin Studio students are getting ready for a public recital.<\/p>\n
Guio Hua Xia, violin instructor, said normally his students perform for parents and relatives, but at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, in Northern Light United Church, they’ll put on a free show, and everyone is invited.<\/p>\n
“I’m excited it’s directed toward community members more than parents,” said Lisa Eldridge, 16, a student at Juneau-Douglas High School who has been playing violin since she was 4.<\/p>\n
Eldridge said she’s excited to play “Beethoven’s Spring Sonata” with piano accompaniment from Kyle Farley-Robinson, 17, also a JDHS student, who called the piece “lighthearted.”<\/p>\n
Xia said public recitals tend to be more challenging and serious than recitals for crowds composed of family members.<\/p>\n
Plus, he’s hopeful a public recital provides encouragement for young musicians to continue to study, practice and play.<\/p>\n
“I like performing,” said Elizabeth Djajalie, 12. “It gives me a chance to play with the piano. It just feels good.”<\/p>\n
Other students universally agreed it’s an exciting opportunity to perform.<\/p>\n
“It’s a good chance to work on performing skills,” said Jin Yue Trousil, 14, a Thunder Mountain High School student. “I haven’t done a lot of recitals though.”<\/p>\n
Trousil will play Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major.”<\/p>\n
Mozart will be a well-represented composer at the recital with several students choosing to perform his pieces.<\/p>\n
Olivia Gardner, 15, a part-time JDHS student and part-time home-schooled student, will play his “Concerto No.4 D in Major”<\/p>\n
“I like how bright it sounds,” Gardner said. “I like the Mozart style.”<\/p>\n
Most of the students, like 15-year-old Lila Quigley, who will be playing “Concerto No. 9” by Deberiot, are high-schoolers or older middle school students who play violin.<\/p>\n
But there are some who buck that trend.<\/p>\n
Maya Breedlove, an 8-year-old violinist, is the youngest person slated to perform, and she said she’s excited to play a concerto composed by Oskar Rieding.<\/p>\n
“It’s just fun to move my fingers like that,” she said.<\/p>\n
Noatak Post, 17, a TMHS student, also defies the trend and plays viola.<\/p>\n
Post said he started playing viola because Xia needed someone to play the larger, heavier string instrument, but it’s since become his main instrument.<\/p>\n
He’ll be playing the “Stamitz Concerto in D Major.” Post said he picked something that will pose a challenge.<\/p>\n
“There isn’t a whole lot of viola repertoire out there,” Post said. “That was one of the harder ones I could find, I thought it’d be fun to perform.<\/p>\n
“I think (Sunday’s recital) will be fun. Usually, it’s a parent recital. It’ll be a bit more of a performance. It will be a bigger scale.”<\/p>\n
Know & Go<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n What: <\/strong>Xia’s Violin Studio student public recital<\/p>\n When: <\/strong>7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29.<\/p>\n