Spring Schubertiade Showcases Musical Talents

On Sunday, tutor Dr. Joseph Zepeda hosted the semesterly campus-wide “Schubertiade” for students to showcase their musical abilities at Thomas Aquinas College, California. A low-pressure, relaxed performance, the event draws out most of the student body, whose members take a break from their studies to enjoy the music. The tradition originates with Franz Schubert himself, who hosted friends and family at casual gatherings in his living room — “sharing music among friends,” as Mr. Zepeda described it.

This semester’s program boasted a wide variety of pieces: dramatic Rachmaninoff, the whole of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” — the three movements performed by three independent musicians — Debussy put to classical guitar, and more. Students enjoyed group acts, solos, cross-instrument duets; each piece found ample appreciation and loud applause.

“It was a lot of fun because I’ve been to every Schubertiade so far in a work capacity,” said senior Dillon Tuli’au (’27), a member of the student AV crew, which amplifies the semi-annual events. This year, in addition to his technical efforts, Dillon sang Schubert’s “Erlkönig” with accompaniment from classmate Susana Sedler. “It’s great to bring these talents to the forefront,” he said. “They ought to be seen and heard.”