Contributed photo
Michael Coronella completed his senior clarinet recital Monday, March 18 in the Cove Fine Arts Center.
The evening of Monday, March 18 was an important milestone in the life of senior Michael Coronella. With wonderful stage presence and clarinet in hand, he looked calm and relaxed as he performed his senior clarinet recital, one of the pinnacle events of his college career.
More than 50 people were in attendance to witness his accomplishments over the last four years. While he exuded skill and expertise as he serenaded the crowd, in reality, “I was extremely nervous,” said Coronella.
Coronella, who double majors in music education and clarinet performance, isn’t a novice to the stage. Last year around this time he performed his junior clarinet recital. In that recital, he performed much of the music he had been practicing since he began his college career, and was therefore required to learn new music for this year’s recital.
“Most of my music this year is all from just one year of practicing,” Coronella said, “except for the Mozart Concerto—that was [learned in] five years.”
Dedication and commitment to practicing is a must when preparing for an event like this.
“I tried to practice every day,” Coronella said with a chuckle. “It didn’t always work.”
Any flaws that he might have been dissatisfied with went unnoticed.
Accompanying Coronella on stage for a clarinet duet was Elena Mouro, who plays in the Symphonic Winds ensemble at ENC. Dr. Brady Millican was also an accompanist for many of Coronella’s pieces.
The highlight of the evening was at the end of the recital when Coronella’s father joined him on stage. They played two duets, with Coronella’s father on guitar.
“It was fantastic,” Coronella said about being able to play with his father.
With the recital successfully completed and officially behind him, Coronella said, “It’s very good to have it over. I’m very happy because it took so much work. While no performance is going to be perfect, I sounded really good.”