For me, a trip to UMBC is always like a trip home. Sure, the music department has relocated to a new building, my friends have moved onwards and upwards, and some of my favorite faculty members have retired; but there’s something special about remembering your own undergraduate bildungsroman. Whenever I visit campus, I catch ghostly glimpses of things I learned while there: about myself, music, the world. There are apparitions of past joys, heartaches, victories, defeats, and friendships. My heart always fills with thanks when I reflect on any of this.
Imagine my excitement when I was invited to come play a UMBC guest artist recital, as well as stop by classes that I once took myself: Careers in music (MUSC 323), Flute repertoire class (MUSC 193, 194, 390, 391, 392, 393), and Linehan Artist Scholar freshman seminar (LAS 121H). It was déjà vu all over again. My heartfelt thanks to Lisa Cella and Doug Hamby, as well as the rest of the UMBC Department of Music for these opportunities!
This flute/light recital was a beautiful collision of some of my Maryland and North Carolina friends, all incredible musicians and wonderful people: lighting technician (and flutist!) Willie Santiago, sound engineer Sarah Baugher, composers Nick Rich and Jonathan Wall, percussionist Michelle Purdy, and double bassist Emily Damrel. (And I can’t forget Yoshi Horiguchi, who lent us a bass!) The craziest part of the story? Somehow, the performance managed to sell out! There’s no way I can fully express just how exciting this week has been, or just how deeply honored and thankful I am to have been back.
Go Retrievers!
Recital pics and videos will be coming soon.
Krisztina Dér Noble, Flutist 