The senior recital is the pinnacle of a music major’s studies at Union, and Logan Brasher is ready to for his moment to shine.
Brasher, a senior music education major with emphasis in piano, will give his recital on Thursday, November 6 at 7 p.m. The senior recital fulfills a requirement for students in the music department.
“The senior recital to a music major is like passing the bar [exam] for a lawyer,” Brasher said. “You work for a really long time in preparation for the recital. Before you even select the music you are working, practicing, learning what it means to really practice for something great. Once you select your music, you spend a year practicing for it so you can put on a great show by recital time.”
Brasher will play 13 pieces on the piano, divided into five suites, which will be about 50 minutes of memorized music.
“My personal favorite is the program closer, which is Khachaturian’s Toccata,” Brasher said. “It’s always a big crowd favorite because it’s really flashy, boisterous and loud. I’m opening the program with Debussy’s Clair de Lune, because I’ve never formally been taught that piece and I’ve always wanted to perform it.”
In the week leading up to the recital, Brasher said he will spend his time perfecting the pieces, which will already be memorized. But on the day of his recital, his goal will be to relax and stay stress-free.
“The day of the recital I will not be on this campus at all, I will not show my face until about 6 p.m. that evening,” Brasher said. “I will need to be relaxing and not stressing at all, so I can be fully prepared.”
Hannah King, senior public relations major, met Brasher through College Republicans.
“I am looking forward to [the recital] because Logan always brings energy to whatever he does,” King said. “I’m excited to see how his years of hard work pay off.”
Christopher Mathews, chairman of the music department, said Brasher is a student that represents excellence both inside and outside of the music department.
“Logan is a great example of a student who has managed his responsibilities but is also engaging with other parts of campus,” Mathews said. “That shows that our music students can and should do that, and so it’s good to have a student like Logan who blazes the trail.”
Brasher, who is from Adamsville, Tennessee, has a few career aspirations.
“I want to teach music in the school system, but I also have a lot of other interests,” he said. “I would like to pursue a career in politics if that door opens, and I’m very involved in music ministry.”
Brasher expects his out-of-town family and friends at Union to attend the recital, but his involvement in local politics led him to invite a few other guests.
“I invited Gov. Bill Haslam, Sen. Lamar Alexander, Condoleezza Rice and Marsha Blackburn,” Brasher said. “Rice and Alexander are both trained classical pianists. I doubt Condoleezza will be here, but if she shows up I might die. I went all out for this.”
Despite all the stress, hard work and preparation, Brasher said he is excited to show people the culmination of his work in the music department.
“To finally bring it all together, to have all of my friends and family there to support me, rejoice and celebrate my conclusion here at Union — [that’s] really special for me,” Brasher said. “I’m really excited to give people a good night of music and just enjoy the company.”
Mathews said he hopes that Brasher, on the night of his recital, can enjoy the fruit of his labor.
“[Brasher] will probably have about 100 students and family members there that all love him and support him,” Mathews said. “They know his skills and his dedication, and so as much as possible, [he should] soak in that moment of knowing he’s worked hard, there are a lot of people genuinely applauding him and rooting [him] on.”
Brasher’s recital, which will be held in Hartley Hall in Jennings Hall, is free and open to the public.
An early version of this article incorrectly spelled Christopher Mathews’ name. The article was updated Oct. 27 to correct the error.
