Austin College vocalists junior Jake Hanes and senior Zach Magers will present an online-only recital Thursday, April 29, at 7 p.m., available through the Facebook/Austin College Department of Music page. Both young men are the students of Sylvia Rivers, who has taught voice as an adjunct instructor at Austin College for many years. Each young man will have individual performance sets, then close the recital with a duet of “Lily’s Eyes” from The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon.
Hanes, a baritone, will sing a mix of classical and Broadway numbers, including “Bella siccome un angelo” from Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti, “Le Bestiaire” by Francis Poulenc, “Zueignung” by Richard Strauss, and “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Weber.
Hanes is completing majors in economics, business administration, and music at Austin College. He plans to continue his education upon graduation to pursue a master’s degree in vocal performance. He is not new to performance, having sung in choirs since age 11 and taken voice lessons since he was 14.
At Austin College, he has sung in the A Cappella Choir and Sons of Pitches—and had another area of regular practice—on the Austin College football team. “Austin College has provided me the opportunity to play football at a higher level and be a member of the choir, as well as a performer,” Hanes said. “Being able to hone my craft and pursue excellence in both fields has been amazing. Alongside these activities I am an active member of many clubs and a fraternity, as well as being able to perform in the Sherman community in musicals and church services.” A junior, Hanes is a Sherman native.
His partner in the recital is another Sherman resident, Zach Magers. Also a baritone, Magers is completing majors in international economics and finance and majors in accounting, music, and Spanish.
Now, a senior, Magers has been singing for 12 years, having had considerable choral experience and success at Gunter High School before coming to Austin College.
His recital will include “Arm, arm, ye brave!” by George Frideric Handel; “O Mistress mine” and “To Daisies” By Roger Quilter; “The Slighted Swain” by Henry Lane Wilson; “My Lovely Celia” by George Monro; “To The Sky” by Carl Strommen; “Bois épais” by Jean-Baptiste Lully,” and “Now sleeps the Crimson Petal” by Roger Quilter. He also will perform “An Old-Fashioned Wedding” by Irving Berlin in duet with Sylvia Rivers.
With graduation drawing near, Magers hopes to begin to work toward a career with a multinational corporation and management of a foreign division of the company. While there might be little call for music in that work, he plans to continue his music in church.
“Austin College provides the opportunity to do everything, and I’m so glad I could include music in my education,” Magers said, adding that he had been in a fraternity and on the swim team, as well as involved in music. “Music allows you to express yourself in a way no other activities can.”
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, global awareness, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.