The student composer showcase concert Monday was a nice break from the stress of finals week. St. Thomas students wrote, composed and played all the music in the show. While there were very few in attendance, the show performances still received much applause.

There were 11 pieces in total, ranging from rap and saxophone solos to vocal ensembles. Some of the work was even improvised on the spot.

“I actually thought of this piece today,” freshman Luke Darger said about his piano piece, “Blue Etude.” “The nice weather we’re finally having was really inspirational.”

“I specialize in improvisation and work on it all the time,” Darger added.

Many of the students composed pieces they worked on during class lessons.

“Some of the students [work] with me and some of the students in the concert tonight are not taking lessons, and it was free to anyone who wanted to sign up,” music professor Kristen Broberg said.

“Most of these pieces are semester-long projects, but what was [performed] tonight was not graded, ”Broberg added.

Freshman saxophonist Dave Baden wowed the crowd with a piece titled, “Veil of Maya.”

“Part of my song was the intro to one of [Veil of Maya’s] albums and their vocalist screams, so at times I was basically yelling into my saxophone,” Baden said.

To end the show, all the performers came onto the stage for a large ensemble, a final showcase of the music department’s work.

“It [was] a great way to show the work that these students made over the semester, because so much of composition is sitting at a desk with a pen and paper,” Broberg said. “It is imperative that you actually hear the notes that you are playing.”

Drew Landon can be reached at land7305@stthomas.edu.