Dana School of Music Hosts Virtual Concerts

YSU alumna Cailtlin Hedge (pictured) and Sean Baran are scheduled to perform for the Dana School of Music virtual recital series. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Hedge and Sean Baran

By Krista Ritz

YSU alumna Cailtlin Hedge (pictured) and Sean Baran are scheduled to perform for the Dana School of Music virtual recital series. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Hedge and Sean Baran

This year, Dana School of Music can’t fill auditoriums with people. Instead, audiences watch student and faculty performances from home. 

According to Randall Goldberg, director of Dana School of Music, the school will pre-record all recitals, and the school will host only three to four recitals throughout the entire semester.

“We have two series that are going to run through the McDonough Museum. The first is an alumni series that will feature some recent alums from the Dana School of Music and theatre and dance,” Goldberg said.

The virtual performances will be recorded in the Butler Art Museum and the McDonough Museum, and possibly the Stambaugh Auditorium.

“We will be doing a few ‘Music at Noon’ concerts through the Butler Institute of American Art,” Goldberg said. “We’ve had that series going for many years. Every Wednesday during the semester, we provide a concert in the main atrium of the museum. We can’t do [the concerts] but we have some select dates where we have some ensembles that will be there pre-recording music that we can then broadcast.” 

Photo courtesy of Caitlin Hedge and Sean Baran

Although in-person recitals still aren’t a possibility, returning audiences can look forward to the Alumni Virtual Concert Series.

Sean Baran, who graduated from YSU in 2011, is among those performing this year in the alumni series. Baran is proficient in piano and organ and is excited to perform in his program that he calls “Turbulence and Transcendence.” 

Baran wants to express the feeling of lockdown with his newest piece. 

This past spring, the lockdown was very challenging for the mental health of many. The music I selected is meant to be an aural expression of the journey one might undergo when overcoming such conditions as depression and anxiety,” he said. 

He expects performing virtually will come with a different set of challenges than the live performances he’s used to.

“I hope that YSU students, as well as the whole community, will support these online performances. This is a first glimpse into the future of reaching our audiences as musicians, and into the future of what it looks like to support the arts in our worldwide community,” Baran said.

Baran’s virtual performance will be available for audiences to stream Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.

Caitlin Hedge graduated from the Dana School of Music with her bachelor’s degree in violin performance in 2017. She performed in the virtual series uploaded Sept. 12.

“I am doing a recital at the McDonough Museum of art and it’s with myself and a local guitarist named Dave Lynn,” Hedge said.

The performance consists of traditional Celtic folk music and original compositions by Hedge. Her performance is currently available to watch virtually on YouTube.