Professors of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts showcased their skills earlier this week at the Faculty Chamber Recital held inside Pottle Auditorium.
The event took place on Monday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and consisted of string instruments accompanied by the piano. The faculty members each came from unique backgrounds, some hailing from different countries altogether.
The faculty members collaborated with Dr. Kenneth Boulton, professor of piano and interim head of the fine and performing arts department, to decide on the pieces that would be performed. Their goal was to pick pieces that could be enjoyed by everyone, but also had  variety.
“We had two people, four people, five people, you know, some different variety group,” said Unkyoung Kim, professor of the department of fine and performing arts, who played viola in the performance. “So that students can learn what is a quintet, quartet, duet.”
Kim comes to Southeastern via Korea and studied in Germany for nine years before studying in the United States.
Daniel Cassin, instructor of cello at Southeastern, is currently playing principal cello in the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.
“It’s nice to work in a place where everybody feels the same way that you do about music and they want to put things together and do a good job,” said Cassin. “Everybody works really well together.”
John Madere, lecturer of double bass and instructor of music appreciation, also plays in the BRSO as the principal bassist. His wife, Stefka Madere, who played as a guest violinist in the performance, earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Louisiana State University, but is originally from Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Dr. Henry Jones, associate professor of the piano, played piano in the performance graduated cum laude from Yale in 1978 and has a diverse background in music, ranging from playing in Broadway shows to performing orchestral piano at Carnegie Hall.
Jivka Jeleva, Director of the Community Music School at Southeastern, performed on the violin for the recital. She earned her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the State Music Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria and earned her Master’s Degree here at Southeastern. Before coming to the states, she worked for two years in South Africa in the Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The pieces that were chosen were taken from Passacaglia in G Minor for Violin and Cello by George Frederic Handel, Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 15 by Gabriel Fauré, and Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 114, “Die Forelle” (The Trout).
For many students who attended, this was their first performance while attending Southeastern.
“I came as an intro to music class, and I had to come and write a paper on it,” said Lynsey Manley, a senior general studies major with a theatre concentration. “It was pretty good. It was my first actual recital here. I’ve never come to anything musical, so it was pretty cool.”