PNC Recital Hall: Music Analysis

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to see Dr. Rachel Whitcomb's performance in PNC Recital Hall, titled "Back on my Feet Again." This was a country, blues, and bluegrass concert coming from a vocalist and professor with a classical learning background. It centered around a theme that although a knowledge of classical techniques is important for any singer, they should still try to incorporate their own unique musical techniques into their teaching or performance repertoire.
The beginning of the concert featured a digital presentation that questioned what "appropriate" music should be considered and who has the authority to decide what should be performed by formal singers. The questions were all rhetorical and would later be answered by Dr. Whitcomb throughout her performance. After the presentation was over, the musicians began to fill the stage; students and professionals alike sat down to their respective instruments, consisting of mostly strings and percussion. These instruments, especially the prominence of blues …show more content…
Whitcomb began the performance with some covers, such as "The Grand Tour" by George Jones and "Girl Crush" by Little Big Town. Each piece performed was listed on a projector behind Dr. Whitcomb in order to familiarize the audience with the song's title. Her strong vocal ability was evident from the first note; she had the perfect voice for the genre, with a strong alto belt, seamless trills, and rustic vibrato when the time was appropriate. Although her breathing at times seemed very clavicular and less from the diaphragm, it may have been intentional and necessary for keeping up the candor of the pieces. She dominated the stage, though at times the backup singers seemed to distract from Whitcomb by their very evident and constant swaying to the music. As for her posture, she stood confidently, tall and proud, and used a lot of arm motions (to emphasize the beat and emotion of the song, mostly, but it proved to be somewhat