On April 4, 2019 at Poly’s auditorium, Julia Gustafson’s period 4, Advanced Piano class, put on a recital of extraordinary ability. The pianist lineup began on the right foot with a rustic song titled “Arrival in the Country,” arranged by Weekly and Arganbright as performed by Gregory Chao, Justin Ramsical, Chan Thon, and Alexander Vega. This gave the audience a little taste as to what was to come. The pieces had so much variety. The songs played ranged from pieces like “Fantasy in A Minor” by Mary Leaf, and “Scherzo, Opus 129 No. 6” arranged by Phillip Keveren to pieces such as “Feelin’ Good” by Robert Vandall and “Beauty and the Beast” by Alan Menken. The recital also included a multiple instrument piece titled “Lindaraxa’s Balcony” by Walter and Carol Noona. The leader of it all, Mrs. Gustafson even joined in on the fun playing “Valse Noble” with students Abigail Menchaca and Samuel Santana. Within the mix were amazing solo performances such as the one from senior Lucia Sato, playing the classic “Deux Arabesque No.2” by Claude Debussy. She stated that she has “been lucky to be a part of the piano program for two out of the four years.” Ms. Sato also gave advice for upcoming piano students: “Keep practicing and have fun while playing piano. Also, try not to stress out during your performance because there will be many more.”
As a fellow piano student, this allowed me to see a performance from the audience’s perspective for the first time. I can simply say that what Mrs. Gustafson, along with the hard work of the students, put together a fantastic performance. I only have three words to use to describe the performances: Sophisticated. Fun. Brilliant.