Ciara Fuson
Staff Writer
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After streaming performances for over a year, the Murray State department of music had their first live concert on Thursday, April 22. The Bright Days Ahead spring concert, organized by Director of Bands Trae Blanco, introduced live music back to campus after 14 months.

The concert took place at 6 p.m. on the lawn next to Waterfield Library and drew a crowd of students, faculty, alumni and community members. Music department students said that live performances are the best way to showcase their hard work. 

“Live performances are so important because then you are able to get the full effect of the piece,” said Cristian Velez, a junior tuba player from Owensboro, Kentucky. “This is our opportunity as musicians and artists to be able to share with the public what we have been able to work on.”

The concert featured the symphonic band under Director Brent Johnson, the jazz orchestra under Director Todd Hill and the wind ensemble under Blanco. Bright Days Ahead signified a new beginning for the department of music as COVID-19 restrictions are being eased.

With social distancing and masks required, the concert was approved to be held outside on the corner of 14th and Olive Street. As the students prepared to perform in front of a live audience again for the first time since Feb. 2020, they felt a mix of emotions. 

“I was excited but also a little nervous,” said Aaron Beach, a junior trombone player from Paducah, Kentucky.  “This is the first time we’ve been able to perform live in a while but [I was] nervous because we had a very high standard to live up to.” 

The pressure of this performance was especially high for the seniors of the music department. The concert, which recognized the soon-to-be graduates, would be one of their last performances at Murray State.

“It was an immense amount of pressure on the musicians as well as our conductors to put on an enjoyable program for our campus community,” said Katie Zheng, a senior trumpet player from Madisonville, Kentucky. “We wanted to share all the work we have put in since the pandemic [that] began over a year ago.”

These live performances are also an essential part of music education that students haven’t been able to engage in because of the pandemic.

“We as music majors need to be under that kind of stress so we can get used to feeling nervous while performing in front of others and push past the nerves to really play how we rehearse,” Beach said. 

The last three semesters have been very difficult for the department of music. COVID-19 guidelines have made playing instruments in large groups a challenge; however, the department was able to put together a show. 

“Despite the challenges that went into planning and rehearsing for the performance, I think the concert as a whole went very well,” Zheng said. “Months of preparation behind the scenes from individual practice and group efforts finally paid off.”

Once the concert actually began, the students felt a sense of joy and relief as they got back into their groove.

“Once we started I could feel the energy coming from the ensemble and the nerves went away,” Beach said. “After hearing and playing through what we all had prepared together for the first time in a long time felt so good. I can’t explain it.”

The hour and a half long concert featured music from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof” and from the “Star Wars” trilogy, among several other pieces. This concert can be a symbol of “Bright Days Ahead” as the campus attempts to return to a sense of normalcy. 

“With live performances slowly being reintroduced, I’m very excited to continue hearing the hard work put in by our faculty and students in the future, especially as a proud alumnus of Murray State,” Zheng said.