The recital featured students in their fourth semester of the music program, and showed a variety of performances that were perfected in preparation for an exciting welcome back.

These students are Shaina May, an oboist, Michael Johansson a bassist, and Aaron Martinez, who plays the saxophone.

Shaina May was filled with excitement as this show was her first solo performance since classes started via Zoom.

”To perform in a recital or a show after preparing for a long time is always exciting and, in a way, relieving. It’s satisfying to look back on all of the work you’ve put in along the way and to compare it to how you’re performing in the present moment”, said May in an interview via phone.

Prior to this show, the Palomar Performing Arts Department conducted their shows via Zoom only, and they encountered a few difficulties including sound distortion and lag due to connectivity issues. Despite these setbacks, they were able to deliver a handful of performances.

“Since learning to perform live is such a vital part of music education, we needed to find a way to have our students perform live while still maintaining safety,” said Thomas Daily, an instructional support assistant for the music department in an interview via email.

Performers and audience members were required to wear a mask and instrument bell covers were used in order to comply with Palomar College’s mask mandate.

As of right now, we can look forward to a handful of other shows and performances from the performing arts department throughout the fall semester.

“The best student performances of the semester are chosen to perform on the Honor Recital which is held in the last week of the semester and is open to the public on the regular Thursday afternoon concert series”, Palomar’s Applied Music Coordinator Ruther Weber said in an interview via email.

It is clear that the excitement of being on stage again makes the hard work the students and advisors put in worth it.

“The opportunity to finally perform live in front of an audience has just filled us all with happiness,” said Daily.

To find a calendar of events and purchase tickets visit The Palomar Performing Arts website.