Last updated on October 10, 2018
By Gloria Cortes
Volunteer State Community College had a faculty recital Oct. 2, and Dr. Nicholas Reynolds played a variety of solo piano pieces.
He said this was his Vol State recital debut, as this is his first semester teaching here.
“I love working with the faculty and the students are all fun. The Vol State faculty has been very supportive of me. Before I even moved here, they set up this recital for me to play. I really enjoy my classes,” said Reynolds.
At the recital, he performed in order: selections from Maurice Ravel’s Miroirs, Frederic Chopin’s Scherzo in B minor, arrangements of Gershwin tunes by Earl Wild, and Bela Bartok’s Sonata.
“I’ve played these pieces on and off for years, but I have been preparing for this specific performance for a couple months,” said Reynolds.
The recital lasted an hour with this selection. Before every piece, Reynolds would briefly explain the piece he was about to play.
“I love variety. There’s so much great music out there…. I wanted pieces that were relatable to the audience, so I chose a wide variety,” said Reynolds.
After the finale, the audience gave Reynolds a standing ovation.
“It was really nice. Reynolds happens to be my piano instructor, so it was a cool thing to see how far he’s come. He’s a cool guy, and he’s very talented at what he does,” said student Andrew Corbitt.
Some fellow music faculty and some of his students showed their support, appreciation, and respect for Reynolds at the recital.
“He’s a great guy, and we’re lucky to have him. I think the pieces he played tonight were of wonderful variety and showed off his skills and his ear for music,” said professor Lynn Peterson.
Reynolds said he looks forward to helping build Vol State’s music program.
“The musicians here are very engaged in learning all different kinds of music, and I think that’s one of the most exciting things about teaching here. Being here as the first full-time piano faculty, I’m thrilled to help build to help build a program and to be a part of the future of the music program,” said Reynolds.
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