Senior Spotlight: Evan Hilborn, Tenor
(Photo courtesy Michael Tropp)
By Leah Nath, Staff Writer
Evan Hilborn ’25 performed their senior voice recital on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Paul Recital Hall. A music education major and peace & justice studies minor, this recital was the culmination of Hilborn’s education on his primary instrument: voice. Surrounded by their family and friends as they displayed all they have learned and worked for, Hilborn beamed on stage. The eight songs composing his recital became a one-person show as Hilborn turned the stage into his personal spotlight.
Covering four different languages and a wide range of emotion, Hilborn navigated the musicality and subtext of each song like he had written them himself; the expressions on their face, gestures of their hands and movements around the stage brought the audience on a journey through time and what it means to be human. The program notes elaborate on the title of the recital, “The Human Condition,” stating, “this recital seeks to explore and express the individual aspects of life, highlighting the vast range of emotions and experiences that music can convey, uniting the audience through its shared resonance.”
Hilborn had excitedly proclaimed in the days leading up to their recital that it would be “full of surprises.” These surprises included bringing a friend on stage unnoted by the program, changing clothes mid-recital and offering a reception after the event. Hilborn ensured that this recital would be a memorable and meaningful one for them with three of their friends performing on stage with them. Brant Miller ’27 accompanied Hilborn on cello with Dr. Scott Crowne on harpsichord for “Pietà Signore,” the three vastly different instruments blending into one voice.
Evan Hilborn ’25 sitting in front of Schmucker Hall (Photo courtesy Michael Tropp)
After the recital, Miller said of Hilborn, “he’s worked really hard for this. He has produced a really memorable performance and I’m proud of him.”
Two songs later, Hilborn brought Ratul Pradhan ’25 on stage with a baby blue electric guitar for a musical theater-turned-pop rock rendition of “One Song Glory” from the musical “RENT.”
Pradhan explained the delight of being asked to perform with his friend, saying “this was my first formal performance. It was very sweet of Evan to ask me — I have always wanted to [perform formally] but never had before.”
Their duo turned into a trio as alum Gabe Sanderson ran onstage mid-song to join the two on piano. The glances shared between the three as Hilborn sang of seizing the moment in life was palpable, bringing audience members to tears.
Sanderson wrote Hilborn’s closing piece, “Lullaby for a Bad Day,” which they sang together as they sat on the edge of the stage. For Sanderson, this moment was personally important as it was the first time he had sung on stage in two years and the first time he had performed at all in a year and a half.
Sanderson explained, “I’ve spent that time shifting my understanding of what it means to perform, but I have a lot of performance anxiety now. So being able to do this with Evan was a really big deal for me.”
Similarly, the song was vastly important for Hilborn, who noted that this was his favorite song in the recital: “it was written by my friend Gabe who I always wanted to be in my recital since first year. Having that now just feels so fulfilling, and I’m so proud to be featuring something by him and having him with me on stage.”
As a member of the Sunderman Conservatory for the past four years, Hilborn advises underclassmen musicians to “do everything you can. This is your time to explore and try new things so don’t be afraid to just experiment.”
Hilborn will be student teaching next semester, embarking to impact children with music the same way he found his life’s passion.
This article originally appeared on page 13 of the No. 1 December 2024 edition of The Gettysburgian magazine.
