Annual “Unrecital” a “funny” and “ridiculous” showcase of student talents

Sophomore Timothy Baker plays accordion and sings his original parody of West Side Story’s “Maria,” called “Tortilla.”

Photo credit: Nora Betts

By Natalie Guske

Cheers and laughter filled Weller Auditorium on Sunday evening for the annual “Unrecital,” a unique and fun-filled collection of performances by student musicians put on by Concordia’s chapter of the National Association for Music Educators.

The Unrecital gave music-involved students the chance to showcase some of their more unusual musical talents, such as rapping the verses of Weird Al Yankovic’s song “White and Nerdy” while dancing or debuting an original parody about tortillas accompanied by accordion.

“It was fun to see how everybody had a unique act,” freshman audience member Daisy Calloway said. “It was simultaneously funny [while] also showcasing their talents.”

A rendition of the Veggie Tales theme song on timpani and xylophone showed the musical abilities of freshmen Rebecca Tredray and Regan Zierke and evoked laughter and cheers from the audience as they recognized the nostalgic tune.

“Regan had an idea to do an arrangement [and make it] as ridiculous and over the top as possible in terms of musicality,” Tredray said. “He was looking for someone to do it with and so obviously I said yes, because that’s what you do.”

When it came to the transitions between acts, co-hosts Taylor Beal and Dalton Lee kept the audience entertained with creative and comedic bits that perfectly captured the chaotic nature of the recital.

“I hosted last year, so I took it on again and picked Dalton [to do it with me] because he’s just a fun dude,” Beal said. “We had a general script of how we were going to transition, but most of it was just improv and going with it.”

Part of the Unrecital’s charm was the fact that none of the acts were polished or perfect. There was none of the pressure that usually weighs on musicians when they have to perform in front of an audience. The only performance criterion was to have fun.

“We sightread [the music] once,” Tredray said. “[After] we auditioned, we didn’t rehearse together again until we both walked on stage.”

Because it was so different from a typical recital, many audience members did not know what to expect when they walked in. However, as people filed out of the auditorium afterward, it was clear that the Unrecital exceeded any expectations they might have had before.

“I was expecting [something like] the Variety Show back during homecoming week,” freshman Rachel Amey said. “[The Unrecital] blew my expectations out of the waters, in its comedy as well as [the fact that] you had no idea what to expect next.”

Although some of the performances might have sent Bach rolling in his grave, the musical acts had audience members rolling in their seats with laughter, making the Unrecital well worth their time.

“Out of all [the acts] I would say my favorite was [the original song] ‘Screeching Eagles’ by Dalton,” Amey said. “I felt like that song had a good story behind it and it really spoke to me—I was just blown away by the meaning of it.”

Check out a full recording of the Unrecital on The Sower’s Instagram account @cunesower.