Camille Pfister
Arts and Entertainment Editor
The audience waited with anticipation as the show began. The lights dimmed and the pianist began playing. With loud enthusiasm, Nick Govindan (C’23) leapt onto stage and performed a powerful rendition of “Giants In The Sky” from Into The Woods.
The Fall Vocal Showcase is a beloved tradition here in Sewanee, where Sewanee voice and music students can show off their dedication and hard work to their friends and family. This year’s performance, put on by the chair of the music department, Dr. Kerry Ginger, had two acts, separated by a ten minute intermission, with ten performances in each act.
The show had lovely variety, with some of the performances being deep and soulful, some being light and funny, and some being electric and exciting. There were also a variety of music performed, with some pop songs, some indie songs, and a lot of musical numbers performed, including songs from, Into The Woods, Waitress, Mamma Mia, Dream Girls, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, and more. There were also a few songs performed in different languages, which was very intriguing to watch as someone who didn’t speak the language, deciphering the emotion of the song from only the piano and the performer’s voice.
The performers’ voices blended seamlessly with the music and each song was filled with passion and joy even in the heartbreak songs. With only a piano accompaniment, provided by two excellent pianists (Vicki Collinsworth and Ray Gotko), the vocalists brought in happy, emotional, angry, fun, and relaxing songs and music to a packed audience.
In the first act, there was a duet between Shelton Griffith (C’24) and Harrison Best (C’25), singing “If I Loved You” from Carousel, and their voices blended together beautifully, creating an emotional and lovely environment.
In the second act, Victor Esparza (C’24) dazzled the audience with his rendition of “Cherry Wine” by Andrew Hozier-Byne. Esparza not only showcased his amazing voice, but also his skilled piano playing and multitasking abilities by accompanying himself on the piano.
The show included so many wonderful acts, and the audience ate it all up, with whoops and cheers following every single performance, and each vocalist getting their moment to shine. To close out the show, Hannah Bright (C’26) sang an electric rendition of “Out Tonight” from Rent and left the audience satisfied, and excited for more at the same time.