Dr. Joy Ratliff, associate professor of voice, performed songs from the World War II era in the second faculty recital of the week featuring one of her friends from high school and two of her vocal students.
“Joy Ratliff and Friends: Songs of World War II” was performed in the Columbia Theatre Conference Room on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. as a part of Fanfare.
Ratliff selected songs that she heard during her childhood for the recital. Not all songs were from over the course of World War II. Some songs were from a few years before or after the time period.
For one selection, Ratliff performed the song “Sisters” from the 1954 musical film “White Christmas” with one of her friends she met in high school, Lois Ball Anglin.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Ratliff about performing with Anglin. “No, I never have [performed with Anglin before], but we’ve known each other since high school, and when I came back here 11 years ago, we took back up our friendship after all those years.”
Two students were selected to perform the popular 1941 song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” with Ratliff.
“That was a stitch,” said Ratliff. “They’re so talented, and they knew the music so much better than I did. I was really grateful because it added so much variety to the program.”
Mindy Guidroz and Kimberly Dupre were the two vocal performance students selected for the trio with Ratliff.
“I’ve been singing with her for a while,” said Dupre, a senior majoring in vocal performance. “She knows my voice. She’s been teaching me for six years, and she started putting music together, and she found a trio. She just came to me one day and asked me if I wanted to do a trio with her. I definitely wanted to.”
Many music students and Hammond community members attended the concert, filling every seat in the conference room.
“It surprised me, but I really liked it,” said Jason Lane, a sophomore majoring in vocal performance. “It’s very nice to hear that genre of music. I actually really like that genre of music. I like watching old movies and stuff. I even knew a few of the songs. Her voice sounded great, too. ‘Sentimental Journey’ and ‘I Don’t Want to Set the World On Fire.’ I like that song, and the mood, the way the lighting was and everything, it really took me back. All the feels.”
A few people mentioned how the recital’s venue, the Columbia Theatre Conference Center, added to the overall feel of the concert.
“It was wonderful. I love this little space,” said Dupre. “There’s really good acoustics in here, too. This conference room. It was a lot of fun. I loved that the audience was so close, and I loved that it was an intimate space. The lighting made it [intimate], as well.”
“I love it,” said Ratliff. “The last time I did this kind of a concert it was in the recital hall at school. This is much more, lends itself more to the kind of music I performed today. It was a nicer space. I enjoyed it a lot.”
For information on upcoming Fanfare events, visit the Columbia Theatre website at www.columbiatheatre.org.