Five of St. Joe’s music students performed their music pieces at the Music @ 11 concert in the Chapel of St. Joseph on Oct 27.
Students worked on their pieces throughout the semester under the direction of Elizabeth Morgan, Ph.D., assistant professor of music. Morgan said students need opportunities to perform publicly.
“The classical music you’re playing is exactly what the composer wrote,” Morgan said. “There’s no improvisation, and there’s no getting tangled up. It’s really high stakes, high pressure.”
Morgan said the Music @ 11 concerts provide a space for students in the music program to feel a sense of belonging among their classmates.
“I think it’s really important for the music students to feel the sense of community among their peers,” Morgan said. “I like that their friends show up and people from campus.”
Justin Smith ’24, a student majoring in music, attended the concert and said it was a good experience for him to see what the concert was like.
“It makes me feel comfortable with these types of things,” Smith said. “I still sit in the back because I’m eventually going to be up there performing.”
Students in the music program are required to perform at one of these events to allow them to showcase their talents and the progress that they have made.
Cecilia Petruconis ’23 said she had been playing the violin since she was in kindergarten. She performed in a trio alongside Morgan and Nadia Przybylski ’25.
“I didn’t think coming into college that I wanted to do music,” Petruconis said. “I’m also a biology major, so I’m going more down that medical route. But I kind of just realized I want this to be a part of my life. I joined the program and then just fell in love with the faculty and the opportunities that we have, so then I just ended up majoring in it too.”
The music department will continue to host the Music @ 11 concerts twice per semester at the Chapel of St. Joseph to showcase the talents of its students.
“If they have Admitted Students Days, we will sometimes play a piece,” Petruconis said. “Just to show them the music program, the department and what we offer.”