Central Michigan University alumni perform at concert

• Tweet
• 

Although it was a formal recital, Randall Hawes, Georger Curran and Kathryn Goodson  weren’t afraid to make the audience laugh.

The Central Michigan University alumni performed in Staples Family Concert Hall Sunday, drawing a crowd of about 80 people, who gave the show a standing ovation at its conclusion. For Hawes and Curran, both bass trombonists and Central Michigan alumni, it was great to be back.

“It’s an honor to come back to your alma mater and show your success,” said Curran, who has been a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 2006.

The event lasted about two hours and included a piece composed by a former university faculty member, William Rivard, along with works by various other contemporary composers.

Performing with the trombonists was guest artist and collaborative pianist Kathryn Goodson.

Curran said CMU was where he established his musical values. Hawes, who has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 1985, said his experience at the university formalized his musical training. It also led him to valuable professional endeavors and the building of lasting ties and relationships that have been very beneficial to his career, he said.

The university has been featuring various alumni in concerts for 10 years and the orchestrator of the most recent event, music professor Bob Lindahl, was very enthusiastic.

“We’re really happy to have alumni on that level,” Lindahl said.

The trombonists represent two groups of successful alumni, graduating almost 20 years apart and studying with two different generations of music professors, he said.

Hawes was proud to explain to the audience the history of the piece “Quadrivalence” which was written for him 20 years ago by his former professor. It, along with another piece written by a School of Music faculty member is featured on his new album, “Barn Burner”, which was on sale in the lobby following the recital.

The concert was preceded by master classes taught by the performers, who critiqued performances and took questions from students before the show.

“I’ve never been to a concert like this before. It was interesting,” said Lowell freshman Mackenzie Roerig.