In honor of Laetare Sunday, the event both began and ended with a song of rejoicing. The whole auditorium, performers and audience alike, sang the chant Ave Maria Caelorum to open the concert. Tutor Dr. Joseph Zepeda, who hosted Schubertiade, then introduced the performers and their pieces as they took to the stage. Students shared works from a variety of composers, including Beethoven, Chopin, and, of course, Schubert; sang hymns and chants; and displayed their mastery of piano, violin, flute, cello, and trumpet.
The event also allowed students to showcase their musical talent, not just as performers, but also as composers. Nicholas Roberts (’28) played a waltz which he wrote for piano; Josephine Sedler (’26) conducted a piece she composed for a quartet of flutes, violin, and cello; and Alex Roberts (’25) directed a choir of his fellow students in singing a psalm that he had set to music.
Uplifted by the beauty of all they heard, the audience ended the concert in a final burst of thanksgiving and joy, singing “Deck Thyself, My Soul, With Gladness” in appreciation of God’s gifts of talent and community.