This page features the different performance opportunities I have partaken in. Via my Youtube channel you can see more videos of my performances at college.
I am continuing to work on more performances which I will continue updating as I progress. I am currently working on my end of year recital for my final year at university, this will be a forty minute recital that is worth 70% of my major.
My First Year Final Recital
This performance is my end of year recital for my first year at university. The first song is an original written by my group called 'Try', in which I perform the lead vocals. The second song is a cover by a Scottish band, Creosote, called 'Bats in the Attic', which Ellie sings the lead vocals and I sing backing vocals, alongside Ciara. The third and final song is another original written by Ciara, who takes lead vocals, named 'The Light, The Now'.
This project was marked as a group and therefore, we had to work together when writing and arranging the music. It was a challenging group to work in because we all had quite drastic music tastes and performance styles. For this reason, we chose for each vocalist to have a song that they would take the lead vocals in. This gave us more creative freedom and ensured we got an equal split of performance time.
In the future I would enjoy arranging three part vocal harmonies, it would give a performance a dense feel. We did plan to create three part harmonies, however, they did not feel strong enough to perform.
My Second Year Final Recital
This performance is my end of year recital for my second year at university. It features two originals and two covers one by Maggie Rogers and the other by Jensen McCrae. I have added my own take on these pieces by working with my band to make them feel authentic to myself.
The two originals we wrote were my first time writing solo, though I did have a lot of helpful input from my band. I enjoyed writing one piece in two time signatures, this was a fun challenge because it is very easy to write in 4/4.
Generally I felt a large improvement in my performance, I felt more confident in my own ability and skill. I would like to continue to improve how I present this on stage; feedback I often receive mentions that the way I feels doesn't translate through my body language and facial expressions. I am working alongside my vocal teacher to find ways which feel authentic to me, that help me present myself more comfortably on stage.
Second Year Interim Recital
This recital was worth 20% of my performance module mark, in my third year of university. It was 15 minutes which was a challenge to find material that was interesting enough without being over the time limit.
Suddenly I See is a song I have loved singing for a long time and the upbeat joyful vibe it brings felt like a catching way to begin this recital.
The second piece is the only track I have decided to bring forward to my final recital. The original has many layered rhythms instruments and solo voice; I would like to incorporate a marching-like drum pattern into the second version. I also need to work on my memory of the words for this piece, it is wordy and does not use any repeated sections.
I decided to use this shorter piece to follow into my final track. The original uses technology to layer vocals and create an emotive, almost celestial, effect for the vocals. I decided to use three part harmony and a reverberated sound on guitars to echo this feeling.
The final piece was by Maggie Rogers, I have covered one of her songs from the same album in my second year. Her writing continues to influence my decisions as an artist, her story telling and carefree stage presence specifically.