As the 2024-2025 school year comes to an end, the last big performance for seniors in the Music Department are the senior recitals.
The three nights of recitals included performances from everyone in the graduating class as a way to showcase the music they’ve worked on during their time at Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA). These performances are a critical part of the last few months at BSA for instrumentalists and vocalists alike.
The seniors use these recitals as an opportunity to show off the work they’ve put into their art. The class of ’25 have spent hundreds of hours developing their skills while at BSA, and the recitals are a way to showcase both their talent and growth.
Senior cellist Mallory Lerch describes the recitals as, “A culmination of everything that my peers and I have been working on.”
In the preparation for these recitals, performers have to navigate the ups and downs of being a musician. Behind the scenes, they encounter challenges such as nerves and time management.
The music students of BSA are encouraged by the administration to do lots of practicing in order to properly prepare for their performances. Senior pianist Eleanor Edgar says she practices 2-3 hours a day and many of her peers do the same. Balancing homework and social life is already hard for most students at BSA, but music students also must incorporate practicing into their outside life of school.
When asked how she deals with nerves before her recital, senior vocalist Adriana Hopson stated, “Honestly, I kinda be freaking out until I get on stage—until it’s time for me to walk [into the recital hall], and then I’m like ‘Ok, I have to lock in,’ and I walk out.”
Nerves are a common feeling that music students have to deal with. Throughout their time at BSA, the seniors have to learn to manage their emotions so that they can cater to the professional learning and performance atmosphere.
BSA is described as a rigorous environment and is well known for its hard-working student body. All of the seniors have drastically improved since their arrival at BSA and have grown as both musicians and people.
Many students feel strongly about their growth and change over the past four years. Lerch states, “I feel like when I first came here, I was super naive in terms of having musicianship and being able to work with others really well. I thought I had a good understanding of that, but after my time here I think I’ve definitely grown in terms of what it means to be a musician. I have a better understanding of that now, and I won’t ever forget all the work that we put into orchestra and chorus and all that. That’s definitely made me a better musician.”
While at BSA, the seniors have gained tons of unique experiences that have shaped them as musicians. They’ve been able to sing at Ravens games, perform in beautiful cathedrals, and work with virtuosos through masterclasses, as well as developing musical connections that will last them a lifetime. Many of the music seniors have announced their acceptances to prestigious schools like the Oberlin Conservatory, New York University, the Peabody Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music and Berklee College of Music.
Edgar is one of the many students who acknowledge that BSA has been a place of finding themselves and growing as an artist. Edgar stated, “I started here as a vocalist and then I decided my sophomore year, ‘This is not for me.’ I really prefer piano, so then I switched, and I think that’s really helped me find a real love for music and not just thinking, ‘I like doing this.’”
After these recitals, the seniors will go off to do great things in the future.
Music Department head Dr. Mellasenah Edwards says, “It’s always sad to think about how we’re gonna make it without this class. They go and then the next students step up and we welcome a new class, and it happens every year, so it’s always bittersweet to watch them get ready to depart. It was very emotional for the students. I think it’s the most emotion I’ve seen.”
The seniors also have a significant impact on BSA: they inspire and serve as role models for the current classes. Without the seniors, the students wouldn’t be able to find that same guidance and push which inspires them to become the best they can be.
Junior violinist Alex Mott says, “For me, the seniors are really kind role models and friends. They are so supportive of your growth and are there to guide you if you need it. Having people who are so talented to look up to helps to push me to work hard for my goals and to reach my full potential.”
It is clear that the seniors have worked tirelessly to prepare for their senior recitals and that all of their work they’ve put in has paid off tremendously. BSA is going to miss its graduating seniors, but it’s for sure that they’ll go onto great things. As Edwards says, “It’s time for them to go, there’s always a season for everything and it’s their time, it’s their time to go and fly.”
The Armstrong Honors Recital, the last of these senior performances, will take place Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at First and Franklin Presbyterian Church. Admission is free.
To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.
Featured design by Milo Decker for The Muse.
