By Jules Young, Arts and Entertainment Editor, and Ainsley Green, Staff Writer
On Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 at 7 p.m., Ella Reidway ’26 performed her Senior Recital, the capstone project for Sunderman Conservatory Music Majors. Reidway is a Music Education major, and the recital is the culmination of all her work as a soprano vocalist.
The recital opened with two French pieces that were connected by their theme about stars. One of which was a duet with soprano vocalist Lana Dyer ’27, accompanied by pianist Athena Komitas ’26. Reidway and Dyer work closely on the student Music Education board, and attended the Orvieto Musica summer music program together; Reidway and Komitas are both members of Alpha Delta Pi. For these reasons, as well as “being long time friends, it was important to [her] that the two were included on her recital program.”
The pieces that followed came from Cuatro Madrigales Amatorios by Joaquín Rodrigo, songs in the Spanish language that drew influence from Spanish folk music. These pieces were personally significant to Reidway because of her work with the Vida Charter School, a bilingual school that caters to Spanish-speaking students.
Ella Reidway performing at her Senior Recital. (Photo Courtesy of Ella Reidway)
There were some pieces with particular sentimental significance to Reidway on the program. The first was “Will There Really be a Morning?” by Ricky Ian Gordon, using a poem by Emily Dickenson. She described this as “a piece that sums up the end of her college experience,” as well as “[having] certain figures in the text that represent the members of [her] family.” Additionally, the final piece on the recital was “She Used to be Mine,” from the musical Waitress, which she had been working on since middle school. In a cyclical nature, this song was the first one she ever performed at Gettysburg College, at the conservatory’s Night On Broadway event in Fall of 2022.
Her second collaborative piece was a set of two American Folk songs arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram and Mark Hayes. The two songs were duets that she sang alongside tenor vocalist Jules Young ’26. Reidway and Young are the only two vocal music majors of their class year, working closely alongside each other throughout their respective college careers. The two wanted to feature each other on their recital programs, showing off their collaborative efforts over the years.
This culmination of Reidway’s experience in voice during her time at the Sunderman conservatory is a testament to how much she has grown as a musician.
She will go on to student teach at Vida Charter School and Gettysburg Middle School next semester, jump-starting her career in music education. After graduation, she plans to start teaching elementary music and ultimately work towards teaching in higher education.
On Sunday, Nov. 9, Jules Young ’26 performed his senior recital in Paul Recital Hall at 2:30 p.m. Young is a double major in English with a writing concentration, and music and a minor in French. He primarily sings tenor. The recital showcased his love of the arts, themed around the text of the music and how it interacts with the compositions. The audience was full of family, friends, and community members to cheer on Young for his accomplishment.
Jules Young performing. (Photo William Oehler/The Gettysburgian)
The first piece on the program was “Dalla Sua Pace” from W.A. Mozart’s famous opera Don Giovanni, accompanied by Dr. Scott Crowne on piano. The story of the opera has always been fascinating for Young, who has been on a journey working with pieces from Don Giovanni throughout his college career. Young then sang three art songs by Gabriel Fauré, entitled “Mandoline,” “Prison,” and “Clair de Lune,” which depicted poems by French poet Paul Verlaine inspired by Jean-Antoine Watteau.
Young then sang two songs by Reynaldo Hahn, which depicted travels in a gondola with a Venetian dialect in the text. The pieces were two selections from Venezia—“I. Sopra L’Acqua Indormenzada,” and “II. La Barcheta,” translating to “Over the Sleepy Waters,” and “The Little Boat,” respectively. Directly afterward, Young sang another piece from Don Giovanni entitled “Il Mio Tesoro.”
Young was joined by friends Ella Reidway ’26 and Athena Komitas ’26 for a comical addition to the recital with a rendition of “Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti,” by Gioachino Rossini. The “Comic Duet for Two Cats,” had only the lyric “Miau!” Young and Reidway told a dramatic story of two cats interacting with their voices. All three musicians wore cat ears for the performance, bringing a smile to the audience’s faces.
Jules Young and Ella Reidway performing. (Photo William Oehler/The Gettysburgian)
Young fulfilled his interdisciplinary credit for the Gettysburg College curriculum in a way that exemplifies his two areas of study, combining a course cluster of Music Theory III and Shakespeare: The Major Works to set songs from Shakespeare plays to music. The art songs from Three Shakespeare Songs were called “Full Fathom Five,” “The Willow Song,” and “Sigh No More,” showcasing Young’s musical depictions of the texts he studied.
The final three pieces on the program were “Fairy Lullaby,” by Amy Beach; “It was a Lover and his Lass,” by Gerald Finzi; and “La Danza,” another piece by Rossini. These final songs showcased Young’s versatility in singing in many musical styles and acting along with singing, finishing the recital on an exciting note.
Young is looking to pursue a career in music education after graduating, and dedicated his performance to loved ones and mentors who have inspired and encouraged him throughout his musical experiences at the Sunderman Conservatory.
This article originally appeared on pages 6 and 7 of the November 2025 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
