The Goshen College Music Department invested in April Fools day this year with their Bad Intonation Night. For the second year in a row musicians, singers and chamber choir members joined together for an evening of performances combined with jokes and light hearted humor in the Rieth Recital Hall.
Dustin George-Miller, Office Coordinator for the Music Department was in charge of making the evening fun and enjoyable for the audience. George-Miller took center stage in his shirt and tie, accompanied with a rainbow music note suit jacket and running shoes. When asked to describe last year’s April Fools recital he said, “it was me standing up in front of people in a bad suit telling jokes and introducing a humorous string concert.” George-Miller stated that Dr. Solomia Soroka, professor of Music, was “kind of the impetus behind” the event.
Dustin George-Miller served as emcee and deliverer of dad jokes.
Dontaye Albert, a Senior theatre major and music minor spoke highly of the recital night. Albert attended to see his friends perform and said, “I have laughed so much and all of the performances are really good.” Albert spoke about Dr. Choi and Dr. Solomia’s performance of the Pascali and expressed that it was “insane,” “I was sitting on the edge of my seat … I was just enamored.” Albert appreciated the motive of the Intonation Night and its purpose “I think people have this preconceived notion that classical music is there to put you to sleep, and it’s like, oh, it’s just classical music. But I think the light-heartedness is there to keep you awake, but also to keep you guessing of what is going to come next.” Albert said the event was “clever, well-crafted and fantastic.”
The main aim of the Intonation Night was to provide a space for people to join in listening to complex music like Verklate Nacht by Arnold Schoenberg and more by Felix Mendelssohn while also having a fun night with witty humour and fun for a wide variety of people. There was an exciting and uplifting atmosphere throughout the night and students, Goshen staff members and the Goshen community attended to get in on the fun. The music Department hopes to make the April Fools recital a recurring event to allow musicians to have some light-hearted fun with their trade.
