The latest Spotlight Series was headlined by Annie Sciolla, who works in the Jazz Studies Department. Friends, family, and faculty members gathered at the Boyd Recital Hall to watch and support on Feb. 24. The director of the Academic Presenting and Operations, who set it up but could not be there, Jennie Quinn, expressed what Sciolla meant to Rowan. 

“You should know that Annie is a beloved adjunct professor of jazz voice at Rowan,” said Quinn.

Alongside being a professor at Rowan, Sciolla is a cross-trained singer who is well respected mainly in the crossover technique of classical to jazz. Which would be on full display in her performance. 

For her performance, she showcased her two best abilities as a vocalist. Hence, the concert’s name is “Two Sides of Sciolla.” The first side of her is classical, being performed by her dear friend and pianist Terry Klinefelter. She opened up the performance with her rendition of Porgi Amor, qualche Ristori by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Setting the scene for her to display an impressive performance of vocal range and control. 

She would then use the tune Summertime by George Gershwin to change her wardrobe and introduce her jazz band to the section side of her. Sciolla had said she wanted to keep the momentum up through the transition. With Klinefelter still on piano, Paul Klinefelter would play bass, Dan Monahagan on drums, and Denny DiBlasio on the flute and saxophone. This would be a complete change of moods as the jazz side gave for more groove. However, Sciolla would use her voice differently when it came to jazz. 

Sciolla would speak on this different approach, saying that it comes from vocal control and the microphone, explaining in more depth what she meant. 

“Because you’re dealing with a different acoustical property. You’re being more amplified because you’re not singing in the same physical style. The same physical push. So you can hear more nuances with a microphone in lower tones,” said Sciolla. 

The rest of the set would showcase her vocal skills and chemistry with the rest of the band. They were all in sync with each other. Each member had mini solos throughout, which were responded to by many applauses. This would follow to the end where she and her band were met with a standing round of applause. Along with the applause, she would be given flowers for the performance.  

While she seemed fearless up on the stage, those nerves still get to her even after a little under 40 years of performing. 

“When you get older, you have a little bit more fear because you’re afraid you’re going to mess up, but because you have so much experience, it’s what keeps you driving forward to do a good job,” said Sciolla.

Even later going on to mention how it affects the overall level of performance. 

“It can also be anxiety-ridden for voice, that’s tough because your adrenaline is going so fast that sometimes you can’t control your breath the way that you want to because you’re starting to hyperventilate,” said Sciolla 

She also spoke on the balance of teaching and performing. An aspect of her skills that many do but don’t necessarily get praised for. 

“But I think that teaching, it’s a great career. You really love to be of service. And that’s kind of like what I’m about, of service, performing, making people joy, feel joy, and also, getting the satisfaction out of helping students mentor them to get where they need to be. So I find that my performance experience has been extraordinarily important for my students because then they can really see from my experience, maybe what to expect or maybe what to achieve or what to work for,” said Sciolla. 

This aspect touched senior music composition major Emile Chevere, who attended the performance. 

“I always find that amazing. Even dealing with my own professors that I’ve met, it’s always inspiring when you can see someone that’s very talented and they also have the skills to help their students learn and go on in their own careers,” said Chevere. 

Chevere thought the performance was fantastic, with a great exhibition range of styles. He highlighted the translation of Summertime as his favorite moment in the performance. Later, he spoke on the benefit of coming out to support the Spotlight Series.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to stay inspired and learn from professors in their own element and actually get to see what they do best. It’s just really inspiring,” said Chevere. 

That is exactly what Sciolla wants to do with her performance. She strives for that authenticity and joy factor that comes from going to a concert.

“Well, what I’m trying to achieve, first of all, first and foremost, is for them to feel something. I want to give them an experience because that’s why they’re there. They want to be moved, they want to laugh, they want to cry, they want to be angry,” said Sciolla. 

Sciolla would finish off her point later on, with the central focus of human connection in the middle of it. 

“What I hope to achieve is to give them some sort of piece of me so that they become connected. Because everybody wants to connect, let’s face it, and these kinds of performances, especially class performances, are very intimate because it’s only one person and a piano or one person and another instrument. So the idea is not to close anybody off in my audience but to try to be as humanly possible with them in a live situation, to bring them in and make them feel safe, coved and entertained,” said Sciolla. 

To catch the next spotlight series performances, you can check out the performing arts proflink or follow them on Instagram @performingartsatrowan.

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