An ensemble of students and faculty launched a repertoire of recitals on the hill Monday in the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center.

The one-hour recital featured performances by ten pianists, each of whom performed etudes by French composer Claude Debussy. Jessie Welsh, pedagogical assistant professor, proposed the studio recital as a way to unify all pianists. 

Welsh said Debussy’s compositions are written in various keys, presenting different emotional themes throughout the night.

Welsh said since Debussy’s preludes are rarely presented and often cherry-picked, it was refreshing to see a large group performing his catalog. 

Welsh said the recital excerpts were designed to give students, from freshmen to graduates, an opportunity to perform at their level. 

“I loved seeing the hard work of my students come to fruition, and for them to be able to communicate and share that with the audience,” Welsh said. 

Pianist Dalton Childress, a senior piano performance major, said performing Debussy’s  “Minstrels from Preludes, Book 1, No.12” in front of a full audience was nerve-racking. 

Childress said that even spending countless hours preparing for the recital, he was still “not even close” to presenting the composition to its fullest potential. 

The final studio recital of the semester will be held Dec. 3 at 12:25 p.m.