On Saturday, Feb. 11, a handful of Terrapins participated in the Florida Vocal Association’s Solo and Ensemble Event hosted at Blake High School. 

     Students from schools across the county came together to perform and receive feedback from judges. The soloists performed two memorized pieces for a panel of judges. One piece was in a foreign language. Andrew Hoy,  the Tampa Prep choral director, had students sing a piece in Italian, German, or Spanish. The other piece was a classical style art song in English.

     Shortly after Solo and Ensemble, the Vocal Instrumental recital took place in the Blackbox on Thursday, Feb. 16th. This recital was meant to showcase the vocal soloists who participated in Solo and Ensemble, as well as students in piano lab, and Upper School Band. The senior featured performers were Annie Gruman, Kaia Owens, Eva Pierce, and Lauren Alexander. 

    Kaia Owens is a senior who has been involved in the music department since 9th grade.

     “I went to a performing arts school in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade so I have basically been doing events like Solo and Ensemble for as long as I can remember.”

     Owens has been able to continue her musical journey at Prep, thanks to the amazing support she has received here. 

     “The teachers at Prep are also so supportive which made jumping into the choral program much less intimidating than it might have been at some other schools.”

     Unbeknownst to some, this wasn’t the first time Owens has had to perform a song in a foreign language. However, she found performing a diverse piece in front of the judges at Solo and Ensemble to be very helpful going into the Vocal Recital a week later.   

   “I picked a German art song so it definitely wasn’t the easiest piece to perform and singing it in front of people who shared the same interests as me, such as a local high school chorus teacher, gave me the confidence I needed going into the Vocal Recital.” 

    As far as Owen’s music career post-graduation goes, she’s not planning to stop anytime soon. With plans to study vocal performance at schools such as Juilliard School and Eastman School of Music, she’s shooting for the stars!

   “I hope that these schools will help take me closer to my far-away dream of becoming an opera singer!”

    Overall, Solo and Ensemble helped showcase some of our students amazing musical abilities.  Later in the spring, there will be another opportunity for students to showcase their vocal talents. Rock the Lot, the annual parking lot concert on the last day of classes is scheduled for May 28, 2023. The choral department hopes to see you there!