by Alex Solari, Staff Writer
In a room full of excited family members and friends, Alex Ollivierre came out with a smiling face, greeting his loved ones to join him in an hour-long musical journey.
Alex Ollivierre had his Senior Percussion Recital on Thursday, December 1 at 7:00 p.m. in CVPA 104.
At this performace, Ollivierre played instruments like the marching snare drum, bass drum, hi-hats, marimba, xylophone, drum set, piano, and even his own voice.
He was accompanied by other musicians such as Brandon Carrita, Logan Amaral, Michael Gedeon, Shaleigh Brooks, Brian Applebee, and Joe Boulos, who played with him to create a beautiful ensemble.
The first song was an original by Olliverre called “Mike and Ikes,” where he performed solely on the marching snare drum. His drums were so loud and vibrant that audience members had to wear ear plugs to listen safely.
His next performances included his ensemble, who performed songs like Etude Ab Major by Clair Omar Musser, Virginia Tate by Paul Smadbeck, and Log Cabin Blues by George Hamilton Green, and after his first four songs, there was an intermission to change the set and give audience members a time to mingle.
His next songs included Segment by Charlie Parker and Pinzin Kinzin by Avishai Cohen. Ollivierre, overcome with joy, stopped midway through his second set of songs to thank his friends and family for coming to this recital, as well as supporting him through his college career.
His last song was another original, titled “tiTANGti,” which is a complex, polymetric piece of music, where three different time signatures runs simultaneously throughout.
Ollivierre was even kind enough to show us the only notated version of the piece of the back of our handout.
When asked what his inspiration for writing “tiTANGti” was, Ollivierre said, “People always tell you something’s too challenging, and I wanted to prove that I could do it. The piece is 3 different layers, and is very complex. Everything was reliant on me. It was a ton of responsibility.”
Ollivierre went on to say that his love of music began in the third grade, when he began to sing in church, and eventually in the church choir. He started to play the snare drum in the fifth grade, which sparked his love of instruments today.
Although Ollivierre started singing many years ago, this is not something many know he excels at.
In the song, ‘“A New”’ Body and Soul” by Kurt Elling, Ollivierre sang the nine-and-a-half-minute song with ease, which shocked and impressed his loved ones.
Leaving the room, there were comments from his friends and family, saying how wonderful his singing voice was, and how they never knew of his vocal abilities.
After the performance, family and friends gathered in the Grand Atrium on the first floor of CVPA for refreshments. There were people from small children to elders, all gathering to congratulate Ollivierre and celebrate him for his hard work.
A recital is a requirement to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Music at UMass Dartmouth, and a performance such as Olivierre’s is something music students put much of their time and effort into during their four years at the University.
As Ollivierre said, he has been working on his original, tiTANGti, “for basically the entire time [he has] been at UMass Dartmouth.”
Ollivierre and his ensemble had a great performance, with intense energy throughout the recital.
If you interested in attending another exciting musical event such as a students’ senior recital, or any musical performance sponsored by the College of Visual and Performing Arts, please visit this website for more information.