On Friday, March 3, 7:30 p.m. in the Jensen-Noble Noble Recital Hall, Instructor of Music Miko Kominami performed as part of the Faculty Artist Series. During her performance, Kominami performed Sonata in A Minor, K. 310, by Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart (1756-1791), Deux Nocturnes, Op. 27, by Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) and Two Polyphonic Pieces by Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932). 

After her performance, Kominami talked about the benefits students get from watching their professors perform. She highlighted that faculty performances normalize stress during performances and help students feel more comfortable on stage. Kominami also talked about how faculty performances allow professors to show their talents. 

“[Professors] get a little too caught up in teaching and forget that we’re performers as well,” Kominami said. “It’s a way to let the students know that we are the same as them when we are on the stage.” 

An audience member, who prefers to remain anonymous, stated that the performance was “an emotional journey”, and the subtle changes in the sound of the piano had a profound effect on their feelings. 

“I didn’t feel the time passing by, a lot of memories were going through my mind, which made the performance very special and heartwarming,” they said. “The ups and downs of the piano tunes were leading my emotions throughout the performance.”

Kominami emphasized the importance of live music for the connection between the performers and the audience. She said that when audience members are present for a performance “with all of their senses”, it makes the music much more interactive.

“Live music has a unique power to emotionally connect with the audience in a way that recorded music cannot,” Kominami said. “This is because the performer can subtly adjust their playing or singing to match the energy of the audience, creating a unique shared experience.”

Grace Violet (‘26) appreciated her experience going to this event live.

“[The performance] gave me a very sentimental feeling,” Violet said. “Live music was felt with the echo of it.”

The Faculty Artist Series will continue in March. On Sunday, March 12, Adjunct Faculty in Music Lynne Postudensek Hart will have a saxophone recital and Assistant Professor of Music Adrianna Tam will have a voice recital at the Noble Recital Hall. Both of the performances will be live-streamed on the Music Department YouTube channel.