There is a lot of stuff going on this week: Greek Week activities, speakers on Darfur, the Latin American History Week and “Skin of Our Teeth,” to name a few. But if you can only choose one event to attend in the next few days – because you’re that busy – make sure to go to Emily Shankman’s senior recital this Saturday at 8 p.m.
Featuring a wide variety of music, from selections from “West Side Story” to a set of Debussy pieces, it is sure to be unforgettable at the very least. Plus, if you have yet to hear Shankman’s exquisite singing voice, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Shankman has been featured in numerous musical productions and choral performances here at Lawrence – she was even the lead in this winter’s opera, “L’Etoile.” As it turns out, this later success came as no surprise to those who knew Shankman at a young age.
Admitted this darling of the vocal department, “According to my mother, I began singing at nine months, before I could even talk.” It should also be noted that the only things Shankman would sing were Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and the Jeopardy theme song.
And why Lawrence? Said Shankman, “I knew I wanted to be a voice major before I even began looking at schools. … I could tell that the music program, and the campus in general, would be a good fit for me, with plenty of performance opportunities.”
The latter has certainly held true for Shankman; she even got the chance to sing in the world premiere of the “When the War is Done” musical.
Shankman notes, “[It] was one of the most exciting and challenging experiences I’ve had at Lawrence. Knowing that no one had ever performed my role before and that I was really creating the character on stage for the first time was incredibly invigorating.
Artist Spotlight
