The Art Hill is alive with the sound of music.
The Thursday afternoon concerts are returning to Pierce this semester with a collection of unique performances for the students and faculty to enjoy. The concerts are free and will be held in the Performing Arts Building (PAB) and the music recital hall at 1 p.m.
“Some of the artists are professionals that we have invited to the campus to perform for the students and community,” said Michael Gend, Performing Arts Department Chair.
The genres of the performances will vary from week to week, ranging from string quartet to African group music.
Percussionist Bernie Dresel will also be performing on October 18. Dresel can be recognized for his work in movies and television shows such as “Jurassic Park,” “Spider-Man” and “The Simpsons.”
Students, faculty and members of the community can expect to enjoy a variety of different and unique sounds at these concerts. For example, the last concert of the semester will be titled DRUtones and Mistical Meditations and will be held on Dec. 6 in room 3400.
“It’s totally different, they will sing and play music based on their glass jars and. It is meditation music,” said Garineh Avakian-Akkus Instructor of Music. “So, it is kind of going to be like philosophy and psychology music.”
Not all of the performers will be outside artists. There are a select few Thursdays where Pierce College students will be able to perform and show off their skills as well. The students who will be able to perform are a part of the applied music program.
“There are two recitals, Nov. 1 and Nov. 15 where music majors in the Applied Music program are featured,” Avakian-Akkus said. The Applied Music Program is where music majors are paired with a mentor, who is usually a teacher, for a weekly lesson in order to perfect their craft.
“The Applied Music Program is a program designed for music majors to prepare them for transfer,” said Instructor of Music Wendy Mazon.
Mazon is in charge of the program and will be in charge of the concerts on Nov. 1 and Nov. 15.
“The concerts are going to be free which is amazing because the line-up that Gaga is really good, it’s just full of really talented musicians. I highly encourage anyone who is available at 1 o’clock to attend,” Mazon said.
The first concert of the semester will be on Thursday Sept. 27 and String Family players will be playing at 1p.m. on the PAB mainstage.
