Senior Spotlight: Zane Kazmarski, Soprano Tenor
By Brandon Banda, Staff Writer
Zane Kazmarski ’23 (Photo provided)
On Saturday, Nov. 5, Paul Recital Hall hosted the senior recital for Zane Kazmarski ’23. Kazmarski performed eight songs in total, two pieces split into two variant songs, and one piece split into four separate pieces. Dr. Scott Crowne accompanied Kazmarski on piano for most songs, while Gabe Truman ’23 accompanied them on piano for the last two pieces. Owen McGowan ’23 sang a duet on the last piece to close the show.
Having to do four recitals over the span of the same number of years must have, in a way, hit Kazmarski like a brick wall. There were moments of tenderness in the opening song, “O del mio dolce ardor” and “Spiagge amate” that exemplified why they deserved to be up on stage in front of one of the larger crowds that the recital hall has hosted in recent memory. It was almost as if they wanted to make everyone feel the love, pain, and vivid imagery that they felt by belting out each line with the same amount of care that went into creating the songs. Recitals are certainly a different structure of a concert to attend, but this one felt different for many reasons. This piece alone amplified the beauty behind their voice, the range in which they carry with themself.
Another high point in the set was Kazmarski’s penultimate piece, “Working It Out,” a song crafted by the pianist that accompanied Kazmarski and Truman. There were not too many notes in the pamphlet about this piece, but the moments in which they sang with soul and desire during the song shattered glass ceilings of fears and doubts and broke through to new ground of hope and courage. And this was always the intention for the song—being able to work something out and grow as human, as individual, as a young adult ready for the next chapter in their life. As it stands, “we’re all working it out,” and, as Kazmarski says, they are a work in progress—the name of their recital; not only them, but all of us, which is why this piece was so powerful, transformative, and transcendent.
Whatever is ahead for them, it is nice to know that we are all working towards goals and gaining perspective as one. And personally, knowing Kazmarski for two years now, I was able to see the growth, development, and determination they embodied within the way they carried themself on stage and the ways in which they transmitted their aura through their voice. To realize that this was the end of a long journey was bittersweet, but I am thoroughly happy that they were able to attain their goals for one last recital during this chapter in their college career.
