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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Four times a year, students from the New England Conservatory (NEC) make their way to Needham’s Center at the Heights (CATH) to perform for the town’s seniors. It’s a valuable partnership for all involved, and the NEC’s visit on April 25 was one to which the seniors were very much looking forward.
Although they never know what the program holds until the performers arrive, seniors crowded into the CATH’s multipurpose room, knowing that anything presented by NEC students would be nothing short of impressive.
When the students arrived, they quickly set up and revealed that they would be performing a variety of musical numbers.
Hailing from Ithaca, New York, Alexandra Purdy, a third year undergraduate student at the NEC, focuses her degree on classical vocals. However, she admits that she adores musical theater and acting, which is why the program was filled with beloved showtunes that the seniors were sure to know.
Accompanying Purdy was Maxine Gong, a second year Master’s degree student studying pianism. Going was born in Shanghai, China, and grew up in California. Soon to complete her degree, she plans to move back to California, where she will pursue her doctorate.
The two students kicked off the performance with Leonard Bernstein’s “My Name is Barbara” and the more upbeat “I Feel Pretty.” Charles Ives’ “Waitin” and John Musto’s “The Silver Swan” also made their way into the program.
Purdy exhibited her perfect pronunciation of both French and German, with two songs in each language. From Claude Debussy, she performed “Nuit D’Étoiles” and “Romance.” In German, she sang “Leis Rudern Hier” and “Ich stand in dunklen Traumen” from Robert Schumann and Clara Schumann, respectively.
Gong also had the opportunity to flaunt her skills as a pianist, and performed an unnamed, buoyant piece written by her friend from Shanghai. She also showed her mastery of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C Sharp Major,” which Gong explained is often played at the beginning of a concert for the pianist to warm up.
The two concluded the performance with two famous musical numbers from the Broadway musical “Carousel.” After “What’s the Use of Wonderin’” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the seniors cheered for the two obviously talented students before them.
Seniors also had the opportunity to ask Purdy and Gong about their experiences with music and at the NEC.
With the NEC once again proving their students’ fantastic talent, seniors at the CATH said goodbye to the two, already looking forward to the next performance.
