Last Tuesday, VAPA hosted musician Ellie Jenkins in the Biedenharn Recital Hall. Jenkins is a music professor at Dalton State College and an artist affiliate in horn at Berry College. Accompanying Jenkins was pianist Justin Havard, director of the Voice/Choral Department.
When thinking up performance names, an idea that struck Jenkins as intriguing was the title, “Chaos and Possibility.”
“I find that an amazing rule to live by. Just expect chaos and possibility, right?” Jenkins said. “We’re always looking for possibilities, but we have to expect chaos along the way.”
During her recital, Jenkins played several beautiful pieces, ranging from dramatic and intense to soft and melodic. Jenkins transposed Rebecca Clark’s “Hymn to Pan” as a horn-piano arrangement. ULM music professor James Boldin duetted with Jenkins by playing the second horn for the piece.
For the recital’s second half, Jenkins used a unique instrument called the natural horn. Natural horns, used during the time of Mozart, precede the modern-day French horn. Unlike the modern French horn, it does not include valves. Jenkins explained that you must insert your hand into the horn to unlock the full range of the instrument.
When asked about the natural horn, Jenkins emphasized how the instrument added a new component to her study of music.
“Having to deal with this whole different technique gave me an outlook on practicing and performing that I think I had been looking for without knowing what I was looking for,” Jenkins said.
Jenkin’s skillful playing wowed audience members, some of whom study the French horn. Senior music major Jeremi Jenkins plays the French horn in the ULM marching band, The Sound of Today. He commented on how much he enjoyed the concert.
“That was a very beautiful piece they played together,” Jenkins said.
Junior music education major Oskar Trejo enjoyed learning the history behind Jenkins’ performance.
“I thought it was great when she gave the audience some backstory about the horn and how most of the pieces we know about were actually written for the natural horn,” Trejo said.
Jenkins’ performance is one of many concerts and recitals put on by VAPA. If interested, follow the Sound of Today on social media for more information.