When we come together to appreciate the talents of our students on stage, we are witness to the rigor and the passion of their study and practice of the art of music.

At 4 p.m. on March 4, nine of U or R’s most accomplished students will perform at the 2018 President’s Honor Recital at the Memorial Chapel, which is free and open to the public. These students are all winners of the 2017-2018 U of R School of Music Auditions held last December.

The Honor Recital has, since 1983, provided a public showcase for just a few of the most outstanding performers in the University of Redlands School of Music.  This year’s diverse cohort of undergraduate and graduate students comes from across Southern California, and as far away as Beijing.  They bested others at the annual competition where many University students, who take private lessons on an instrument or in voice with a School of Music faculty member, compete.

The following artists are performing on Sunday: 

• Jhon Alvarado ’19, performing on guitar, is a student of Stuart Green and is obtaining a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance.  His music career has led him everywhere from the San Francisco Pier to the Czech Republic, and he is currently a teacher for the Community School of Music and the Arts in Redlands.
• Kelsi Farnsworth ’19 began studying voice with her mother at a young age.  A first-year graduate student pursuing a Master of Music degree in vocal performance, she studies with Dr. Melissa Tosh.  She also performs with the University of Redlands Chapel Singers and will be touring Canada with them this summer.  She will perform the role of Belinda in the University’s upcoming production of Dido and Aeneas.
• Jonathan Heruty ’20 was introduced to the trombone at age 11.  His experiences in the School of Music and in private instruction with Dr. Andrew Glendening have shaped his emphasis on theoretical concepts into a focus on consistent production of sound.  In his first year, he accepted the School of Music Freshman Honor Award and went on to play alongside his professors with the Inland Master Chorale during the most recent Christmas season. 
• Jonathan Kretchmer ’21 is a freshman studying Music Composition and Music Education.  He has been playing piano since the age of 6 and formally composing since the age of 12. He studied piano under the instruction of Mrs. Larisa Kagan for 12 years.
• Tim Laguna ’19 is working on his Master of Music degree in Percussion.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Cal Poly Pomona, where he was principal of the Wind Ensemble and a featured soloist in the Kellogg Percussion Ensemble and Cal Poly Concert Band.  He currently studies with Yuri Inoo, principal percussionist with the Redlands Symphony Orchestra.  Tim has been an active marching arts educator in Southern California for the past six years and now runs the percussion program at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera.
• Flutist Gerardo Lopez ’19 has performed with ensembles including the Pasadena City Honor Band in the 123rd and 124th Annual Rose Parades and the 29 Live Band.  He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Performance, summa cum laude, here at Redlands, studying with Artist Teacher of Flute, Sara Andon.  Now a graduate student, he is a member of the Wind Ensemble and Orchestra, as well as a member and conductor of the Flute Choir.  He in is his second season as a student member of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra, and this is the third time he has been chosen to perform in the President's Honor Recital.
• Pianist Takakuni (Kuni) Migimatsu ’18 has been studying music since the age of six and came to Redlands to study Piano Performance with Professor Louanne Long in 2014. In addition to music, Kuni studies Economics and Accounting at the University.  He believes in giving back to the community and has been asked to perform for various retirement homes in the Bay Area, his home base.
• Raul Valdez-Perea ’19 is pursuing his Masters in Vocal Performance after graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance.  He performed with the El Paso Opera from 2011 to 2017 and participated in the Young Artist Program from 2012 to 2015.  He is currently performing with the University of Redlands Chapel Singers, Opera Workshop, the Inland Master Chorale, and at the First United Methodist Church in Redlands.  In 2018, he will be performing in Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny-Songspiel as Bobby and as Aeneas in Dido & Aeneas by Henry Purcell.
• Violinist Yuli (Annie) Zheng ’20 began playing the violin at age four. She is often praised for her excellent technique and warm tone quality and has been a prizewinner at a multitude of violin competitions in her hometown of Beijing, China.  She was invited to join the Golden Sail Symphony Orchestra in China as a teenager and has performed in the Sydney Opera House, the Musikverein, Schonbrunn Palace, Chinese National Opera House, Chinese Great Hall of the People, and the City Hall of Stockholm.  She is now a double major at the University of Redlands, pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance and a Bachelor of Science degree in Global Business.  She is a recipient of the Dean’s Performance Scholarship, an Achievement Award, and the Schroeder Summer Language Scholarship.