A senior recital takes months of work, practicing until every note is hit and every word is memorized, and for senior education and music education major Hillarie Henderson, just a little bit of pre-performance Diet Coke.
“I practice all the time,” she said. “I want to make sure I know my songs like the back of my hand and can be prepared to sing at the drop of a hat. Queen of the Night’s Aria, one of the songs that I’m singing, is one of the most difficult pieces that I have ever sung, and it takes me using my entire body to produce the sounds I want.”
Henderson will sing 11 songs with a bonus song with two of her best friends, Lauren Harris, senior music education major and Cedric Townsend, senior vocal performance major.
“I know Hillarie has been practicing so hard, and I can’t wait for her recital and for everyone to see what she’s been working on,” Harris said.
She said she will be singing songs in German, Italian, a Queen of the Night Aria from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” a song by Carlisle Floyd, A Cycle of Five Kid Songs for Soprano by Leonard Bernstein and three sacred songs written by Michael T. Smith.
“My favorite that I’ll be singing is ‘Ain’t It a Pretty Night’ from Susannah by Carlisle Floyd,” Henderson said. “It’s fast, energetic, dissonant and dark, but it’s so fun.”
Henderson said she is doing her recital and practicing so hard through the support of her family, who she said are some of the biggest inspirations in her life.
She is also inspired by the legacy of Leighton Williams, her dear friend and Chi Omega sister who passed away in a car accident last fall.
“Everyone understands how important Leighton was to so many and how amazing of a person she was, and although her life was short, she made such an impact on so many,” Henderson said.
Stanley Warren, professor of music, told Henderson to “eat, sleep, and breathe [her] recital,” and although Henderson knows the pressure is on, she said that she is doing what she loves and that she just wants to bring God glory.
“I have been blessed with the love of music and desire to pursue a very daunting and difficult career,” she said. “One of my favorite song lyrics is ‘I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no powers, no wisdom. But, I will boast in Jesus Christ, my death and resurrection.’ It is a beautiful picture of God’s giving of gifts and how we should honor Him in all that we say, think and do.”
She also hopes that those who are not music majors see what she does on a daily basis.
“A lot of times I have to miss certain events because of my major or my obligations to rehearsing, which is hard sometimes,” she said. “But in the long run, I am doing what I love to do and that is to sing.”
Before her recital, Henderson said she will clear her throat with the closest thing to a good luck ritual that she has.
“Just like I’ve done before I sing for years, I’ll drink a Diet Coke,” she said.
Henderson’s recital is Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Hartley Recital Hall.
