Zoë Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

Smith Hall opened to a nearly full house on March 2 as senior Kathryn Powers took center-stage. Powers was there for her junior music recital, and spent the next hour filling the music hall with a selection of soulful songs.

For Powers, who’s working toward achieving a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, a junior recital is integral to her degree; she’ll be performing her senior recital, a capstone performance that will primarily consist of original songs, in fall 2018.

During her performance, Powers was joined on stage by numerous peers, including drummer Cole Johnston, bassist Jacob Marsh, guitarist Connor Johnson and pianist Ethan Keleher, as well as backup vocalists Brandon Franko, Julia Miller, Amanda Mahaney and Hannah Williams.

The night kicked off with a performance of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” which set the tone for a catchy night of primarily well-known songs and plenty of soul.

Before the start the fourth song, “Lost” by Anouk, Powers took a moment to bring out Johnson, who served as the piece’s sole instrumentalist, joining her on stage and momentarily dismissing the other stage members. Prior to the start of the song, Powers took time to reminisce about her first experience with “Lost,” noting that, “(she) thought it was the most beautiful song in the world.”

When deciding what songs to include, she was conscious of the the way each piece of the setlist interacted with one another.

“I wanted them to be able to fit well together and be almost like a collection of songs,” Powers said. “I wanted them to be some of my favorite songs — songs that I already knew pretty well so that they would be easier to memorize, and I wanted the audience to be able to connect with them.”

Powers began attending Western in fall 2015 as an elementary education major, however, regular walks through the music building ultimately changed her mind. “I figured out that my heart wanted to be in the music department so I changed my major back to music,” Powers said — before attending Western, she studied music at Umpqua Community College.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot since changing my major when it comes to songwriting, performing, and transcribing music,” said Powers. “I can also say that meeting my friends in the music department has probably been just as impactful to me as a musician as taking classes with my professors. All of them are such amazing musicians and they help me to become a better one as well.”

Powers’s performance was one of the first in the end of term rush of student recitals. The shows continue on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. for the chamber ensemble performance, as well as another student recital on March 8 at 11:00 a.m.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis