Washburn Piano and Organ Society organized a holiday recital Dec. 1, 2023 in the Carole Chapel at 7:30 p.m.

There were over 25 attendees; most of them being students and their parents. The music-major students performed holiday themed pieces. The event was organized and directed by students.

Nine performers entertained the entire recital. The event began with the piece “What Child is This?” followed by “Where are You, Christmas”.

The recital also held donations for anyone who was interested. With the donation, the organization posts a lot of events in Washburn. A lot of these events go to benefit the community around Topeka, which helps young piano students come to the campus to take part in contests or masterclasses.

The donation also goes to support things like guest artists and masterclass clinicians to come on campus. This provides students with more opportunities for learning as well as the chance to study with great teachers and not just campus professors.

Lucy Tan is the director of keyboard studies and teaches applied piano. The students selected their pieces through her mentorship. She shared her thoughts on the recital.

“This event is for the students to enjoy some festivities in the midst of the upcoming final exams,” Tan said. “So it is a little bit of relaxation for them.”

Agraj Bhandari, freshman computer science major, shares his experience at the recital for the first time.

“I was really shocked that it went well,” Bhandari said. “I forgot my music sheet so I was definitely surprised to see the end result.”

This is the first time for the music class to try a holiday recital. The music department has a formal recital during spring semester where they play classical standard repertoire.

The recital ended at 8:15 p.m., and cupcakes and cheese platters were served for the attendees.

Edited by Jeremy Ford and Jayme Thompson