By Sarah Green and Jordan Ross
On September 29, 2016, Dr. Sadie Goodman, soprano and assistant professor of music at Judson College, and Keryn Wouden, harpist and faculty member at Lake Forest College in Illinois, performed a recital in the Alumnae Auditorium, with a reception following afterward in Archibald Hall.
Musical repertoire included pieces in a variety of languages, i.e., English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Norwegian, with artists such as George Frideric Handel, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. The recital had many pieces specifically composed for harp accompaniment, while others were adapted from piano scores by Wouden herself.
This was the first time Judson College has presented a harpist to the Alumnae Auditorium stage. When talking about it with Dr. Goodman afterward, she explained how there were a lot of firsts and challenges to overcome working with a harp for the first time. However, in the end, she was grateful to have done it. She stated that “it was a blessing to perform for an appreciative audience, and to be able to give this unique recital. A combination of voice and harp for an entire recital is almost unheard of, and I’m pleased to say that Keryn Wouden and I plan to give this recital again in Chicago in the spring.”
The audience seemed to enjoy the recital as well, with complete undivided attention toward the duo on stage. “It was very moving. I’ve never actually seen a harp in action, but it was very different, in an almost uplifting way,” Lauren Neary, a Junior-Soph, stated afterward, “Overall, it was a very touching performance.”
Freshman Kate Wright also shared similar sentiments. “To me, the recital was something different and interesting, as well as entertaining. I count opportunities like that as one of the side benefits of being at college,” she explained.