Faculty recital features professor, wife

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The School of Music faculty recital Tuesday evening ended with a torrent of applause for the performers.

About 125 people attended the performance that went from 8 to about 9:30 p.m. in the Music Building’s Staples Family Concert Hall.

Professor Eric Tucker, a voice professor at Central Michigan University and a bass-baritone, was the featured performer, accompanied by Professor Zhihua Tang on piano. They were assisted by Professor Joanna Cowan White on flute and Professor Robert Lindahl on trombone. Antoinette Tucker, a soprano and Eric’s wife, was featured as a guest artist.

“We went to school together and did all of our undergraduate and graduate recitals together,” Eric said. “Any time I’ve had the chance to sing with her, I’ve sang with her.”

Eric said he and his wife have sang in church together the past 21 years they have been married.

“It’s such a joy to perform,” Antoinette said. “When you study something for so long and spend so much time internalizing the music and the poetry, it’s like the icing on the cake to go out and perform.”

Antoinette said although Eric chose to go into teaching and she chose to start a family, she still likes to keep up with her singing.

“I’m at the age where I just want to share what I do and it’s a blessing when that happens,” she said.

Antoinette performed pieces by the French Impressionist composer Claude Debussy and the British composer Gerald Finzi. Eric performed a variety of pieces, ranging from the French Baroque Jean-Baptiste Lully to the 20th century American Douglas Moore.

Tang said rehearsals for the recital began at the end of last semester, and there were summer rehearsals prior to school starting.

Tang also performed a solo piece after intermission. She played “Mephisto Waltz No. 1″ by Hungarian Romantic Franz Liszt, and said the piece is infamous for its incredible difficulty and character.

“It’s a devil’s waltz. Basically Mephisto is trying to seduce us all with his charm and power,” she said.

Tang said it was a blessing to be a part of the recital.

“It’s just wonderful to work with my colleagues,” she said. “The school has wonderful faculty and it’s so much fun to work and make music with them.”