Virtual student organ recital

On Feb. 17, five organ students and Daniel Kerr, the director of organ studies at BYU-Idaho, held winter semester’s first Student Organ Recital in the Ruth H. Barrus Concert Hall.

The program featured a variety of songs such as “Toccata Prima” and “Shall We Gather at the River?” from its six performers. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the number of physical attendees was strictly limited{{. However}}, but the concert was broadcast live through the BYU-I website.

“Normally with recitals at least 20 other people come in person, but this time it was just us,” said Tanner Beck, a sophomore studying music and one of the musicians. “This is my fifth recital I’ve played in. Even though there weren’t that many people there, it was still nerve-wracking.”

Because the concert was broadcast online, many students, faculty and family members were able to tune in.

“Our TV acoustics don’t compare to the Barrus Concert Hall, but the broadcast was very clear,” said Heidi Sanders, a senior studying humanities.

Sanders and her roommate Bailey Blacker, a senior studying child development, watched the concert from their apartment.

“I usually enjoy the ambience of physically being there for a performance— taking it all in and dressing up for the occasion — but it was also nice just being able to watch it from home,” Blacker said. “I liked the accessibility.”

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the remaining organ recitals as well as other events from the College of Performing and Visual Arts will be livestreamed for the rest of the semester.

Visit BYU-I’s website for a list of events and livestream performances.