As the end of the year draws closer, Natasha Nogueira ’18 has been preparing for her senior recital, a culmination of the music she has studied in her time at Swarthmore.
Nogueira will sing pieces in English, French, Italian, and German, with most of her songs dating from the 17th through 19th centuries. For one piece, “The Flower Duet” by Léo Delibes, she will be accompanied by duet partner Shelby Billups ’20. On her favorite piece, Thomas Arne’s 17th century “Morning Cantata,” she will be accompanied by a small ensemble featuring Jasmine Sun ’18 and Henry Feinstein ’19 on the violin, Ayaka Yorihiro ’20 on the viola, Noah Rosenberg ’18 on the cello, Rachel Hottle ’18 playing the flute, and pianist Debra Scurto-Davis playing the harpsichord. She has agreed to discuss the process of planning her recital, which will take place on March 24 at 8:00 pm in Lang Concert Hall.
How long have you been preparing your recital? How have you prepared yourself?
Nogueira: I have actually been working on this repertoire since last year (January 2017). After reaching the Freeman Scholar level in Music 48 [Music majors, minors, and Freeman Scholars taking Music 048 can apply for funding for a recital. Freeman Scholarships are given to Music 048 students who show exceptional talent.], I was excited to have a senior recital. I also wanted to be well prepared for it, so this recital has been a year in the making. It has been an adventure to learn all this music in the past year and perfect it for performance.
How did you choose the songs you will be performing?
Nogueira: Most of the music was actually chosen by my voice teacher, Nancy Jantsch. However, I have been wanting to do The Flower Duet for the past couple of years, so that was something I chose. As my voice teacher, Nancy knows how to choose music that is well suited to my voice and capabilities. Sometimes, as singers, we fall in love with a song. that unfortunately is not great for our voices. Our teachers ensure that the music we sing matches the type of voice we have. Of course, Nancy proposed all the music to me first, and I spent a lot of time listening to all the songs before agreeing to them.
Does any song have a special significance for you?
Nogueira: My favorite is definitely The Morning Cantata. It is a pastoral piece, so while the textual meaning is not as significant [as some of the other songs], the music portrays the text beautifully and singing with the ensemble has made it really stand out.
How are you feeling about the recital?
Nogueira: As someone who loves music and has been singing for a long time, I am excited to share this night with people, as it is the culmination of a lot of hard work and years of vocal studies. I want to enjoy myself during the recital and share my love for music with other people.
Do you have any plans for what you’d like to do next?
Nogueira: One of the easy things about being a singer, is that your instrument is with you wherever you go. Wherever I end up after graduation, I will continue singing.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Emilie Hautemont ’20