UT Dallas freshman Alissa Dover will showcase her musical versatility at the upcoming Musica Nova orchestra concert. She will perform much of the program as a cellist. But at one point during the concert, she will put down her cello and move to center stage to sing a solo.
That, according to Dr. Robert Xavier Rodríguez, is quite a feat.
“Instrumentalists and singers draw on the same set of musicianship skills, but it is rare for a musician to be both an instrumentalist and a singer,” he said.
The dual performance will occur Friday, April 27, when Musica Nova, the University’s Advanced Orchestra and Chamber Music Ensemble, performs the music of Beethoven. Rodríguez, Chair in Art and Aesthetic Studies and professor of music in the School of Arts and Humanities, directs the ensemble.
Dover has been playing the cello since she was in kindergarten. She said she has been singing for most of her life. Her mother has extensive training in musical performance, which inspired her to keep singing. At the concert, she will sing “Ich Liebe Dich.”