Senior Recital: Austin Nikirk

Soprano Austin Nikirk will be presenting her Senior Recital this coming weekend on Saturday, February 29th in Schmucker Hall at Gettysburg College! She has been hard at work preparing the diverse set of repertoire she'll be performing, and we can't wait to hear it. We hope to see some of you there! If you can't make it in person, there will also be a livestream via Facebook. We were able to sit down with her recently for an interview about her upcoming recital and some other things she's been up to this year. Check it out below!

It’s finally senior year! How’re you feeling about that?
"I have mixed feelings, because I’m so excited about many of the projects that I’m working on, and don’t want them to end! But I am also ready to be out of school, haha."
 
Besides your recital, what are you most excited about this year?
"Our opera workshop is doing an opera in French this year, and I am helping coach the language! It has been really fun combining my passion for French language and culture with opera."
 
What’s been your favorite experience studying music in college?
"I have interned with the choral department for two semesters now, and by far my favorite experience has been conducting our upper-voice ensemble, Audeamus. I have really enjoyed seeing them grow vocally and musically!"
 
Okay, so, recital time. Let’s start with the easy question. When and where is your recital?
"It will be February 29th (yeah that’s leap day!) at 7 pm, in Schmucker Hall at Gettysburg College."
 
What’s your favorite piece on your recital? Why?
"My opener! I don’t want to give too much away, because it’s a bit of performance art, but it’s not like anything I’ve ever sung before. It’s also by a composer who graduated from my school last year, so I’ve been able to coach it with him and really get into the nuance and expression of the piece."
 
How has the recital process been for you? What did you have to do to prepare, and how do you feel about it all?
"I have been working on some of this music since last semester, but there is also a significant portion that I have learned in the last few weeks. So getting it all together at the same time was really a journey! But I’m really excited about my program, and can’t wait to share it with my audience!"
 
If there’s only one thing you want audience members to get out of your recital, what would it be?
"My overall concept is probably the most important part. I begin with three pieces by student-composers, followed with a piece by their composition teacher here at Gettysburg. The next set was composed by his graduate professor, followed by his teacher, and so on. Finishing in the early baroque, I hope to take the audience on a journey back through the evolution of compositional styles!"