Aysia Adkins, a senior music major from Goshen, has been listening to and creating music since before she can remember. In just one week, Adkins will complete her senior recital as a soprano and move on from her music-filled experience at Goshen College.
Adkins cites her mother as her source of inspiration in beginning to pursue music. “She plays violin and sings like I do, and so music was always around in our house,” she said. “Very early on, I knew I wanted to play violin as well.”Adkins began formally learning music in her fifth grade orchestra, where she officially chose the violin as her instrument. Adkins said, “I was practicing all the time at home and I really, really enjoyed it. It was something I could physically just excel in and have something to fixate on as a kid.”
In middle school, Adkins also learned about one of her unique musical gifts: absolute pitch. More commonly known as perfect pitch, this is the ability to reproduce and recognize notes without any prior context. “It’s 100% helped me to be a better musician for myself,” Adkins said. She also noted the confidence it gave her to be a musical leader and an anchor in ensembles.
Moving into high school, Adkins’ feelings for music and her involvement grew. “I fell in love with everything about violin,” she said. “When we would have concerts, I would tear up while we were playing pieces.”
This is also where Adkins began venturing more into vocal music. She joined choir her sophomore year of high school and began taking voice lessons the year after.
When coming to GC, she was presented with a difficult choice: continue her studies in violin or voice. Adkins ultimately chose the latter.
Roz Woll, associate professor of music, Adkins’ voice teacher and her mentor, remembers Adkins’ audition as being both talented and graceful. Woll described Adkins’ sound as floating and resonant. “I have loved working with her from start to the end of this chapter,” Woll said, a sentiment that Adkins reciprocated.
Being a musician can be exhausting, something which Adkins learned during her junior year while being in two musicals, voice lessons and ensembles all at once. “I was singing for 10 hours a day at one point,” she said. “That was really rough.”
Through reflection and work with Woll, Adkins has worked to change her mindset on music. “It’s given me more liberty of what I’m giving my energy towards and what’s really filling my cup, rather than just ‘doing this to take the opportunity,’” she said. “Now, I’ve been able to just focus on my love for my voice; my instrument and its capability really, really grounds me.”
Woll said, “At the core of it, for me, is how I feel when I’m singing. There’s nothing more spiritual to me than that feeling,” Adkins said. She explained that, while she is unsure what her current religious views are, she can feel divinity manifest through music. “All performers, all the people watching [are] taken to this … completely higher state, and it’s really, really special to me, ” she said.
Woll also testified to Adkins’ deep emotionality. “Who she is as a person contributes to her capacity to tell a variety of stories and … see how she can make that come alive.”
Adkins’ music continues to be fully supported by her mother, who sits in the front row of every concert to get the best view of her daughter performing. While fighting back tears, Adkins said, “[My mother] has been my rock. She allows me to do anything that I feel inspired to do, and she’s always been my number one supporter.”
Adkins is not sure what her career holds, but her near future will involve a one-year Master’s program in vocal performance at the University of Leeds in England. She’s excited to move out of the small Goshen community she’s grown up in and bring the same energy to a big city in a new country. “But I’m also going to be super sad to leave everyone I’ve met here and everyone I’ve made music with here,” Adkins said.
Once that is completed, Adkins just wants to perform. “I would love to be in a small choral ensemble that does a variety of music and gets paid for it,” she said. But, no matter where she ends up, she will continue to listen to and create music.
Adkins’ senior recital is on April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Reith Recital Hall.
