Student Recital Set for March 31 in Fullerton Auditorium

On Sunday, March 31, senior percussionist Hayden Osborne and sophomore vocalists Mikayla McCleaf and Valerie Turner will present a joint music recital at 3:00 p.m. in Fullerton Auditorium.

Osborne, a Union, SC native, has studied percussion for almost a decade. He first discovered his love for the instrument when he saw a marching band as a kid. Instantly, he was hooked. 

“I love playing percussion as it allows me to express myself in ways that just are not possible with human language,” Osborne said. “It allows me to connect and emote myself on a much more intimate level than ever before.”

During his performance, Osborne will play five pieces that showcase his skill on timpani, marimba, snare drum, and multi-percussion. Among them is Christopher Deane’s "Etude for a Quiet Hall"-- a personal favorite of Osborne’s.

“It is a physically demanding marimba solo that I have dedicated a lot of blood, sweat and tears into,” he said. “I may have lost my sanity a few times over it.” 

After graduation, Osborne hopes to pursue a career in radio and teach percussion throughout the Upstate.

Like Osborne, both Turner and McCleaf found their “instrument” at a young age as well. 

Hailing from Mooresboro, NC, Turner began singing as a little girl. And by the time she was in middle school, the classically trained singer had fallen in love with opera.

Turner, a first generation college student, chose to attend Limestone in order to travel and get a better understanding of how college life works. Luckily, that commute led her to the Carroll Fine Arts Building and to McCleaf.

“I love getting to sing with her. We have competed in classical NATS together for two years now, and we are in the same music classes and music ensembles together as well. She is an inspiring performer and I hope that we get to enjoy every moment of the performance together,” Turner said.

McCleaf began singing with her school choir in the third grade and continued to be a part of school and church choirs all throughout grade school and high school.

Today, the Fairfield, Pennsylvania native strives to balance her love of singing with her love of academics. McCleaf double majors in both math and music education and is a member of the Women’s Field Hockey team.  

And when it comes to this performance, McCleaf couldn’t ask for a better teammate than Turner.

“I could think of no one else I would rather go through this experience with. We have been preparing for this recital for so long; we are so excited to perform it for everyone,” McCleaf said. “When we sing, it is to make people feel something through our pieces. Whether it is the tragedy of With You or the light-hearted playfulness of Cherubino's aria, I want the audience to come along for the ride.” 

McCleaf and Turner will perform duets from the Mozart opera Le Mariage de Figaro along with a series of foreign language, classical, and musical theatre pieces. 

Concert admission is free, and the public is invited to attend.