On Sunday, the first chilly day of the school year, a roomful of music lovers gathered in Russell House for a powerful performance by acclaimed pianist and familiar Wesleyan face Naomi Niskala.
Niskala has been practicing piano since the age of three, acquiring numerous awards and honors including the top prize of the International Stravinksy Awards Competition, air time on BBC radio, and first prize at the Kingsville International Isabel Scionti Solo Piano Competition.
Despite these prestigious prizes and her additional accolades, the performance was relaxed and laid-back, lacking the pretense that keeps a good number of casual music lovers from classical recitals. In fact, the event had an air of familiarity to it – many audience members regularly attend Russell House events and some others had been students of Niskala’s, who formerly taught private music lessons at Wesleyan.
Niskala has also taught at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, an independent arts school that specializes in bringing arts appreciation to children of all backgrounds. Niskala currently holds a position as an assistant professor of piano and chamber music at University of South Florida’s Tampa School of Music.
As a student of music, Niskala attended several institutions including the New England Conservatory, State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the Yale School of Music.
The afternoon concert selections included Bach, Bartok, Beethoven and Chopin. Niskala played each piece with equal fervor, filling the room with a force and precision that led several audience members to comment later that there seemed to be an orchestra in the room. Especially impassioned was the last selection, Beethoven’s Sonata in C Major, Op. 35. The piece tied together the performance and showed off Niskala’s skills as a master pianist. Niskala played the three movements flawlessly, gradually building up the intensity that capped off her recital.
“I was impressed with not just the playing, but the atmosphere it created,” said Jacob Mirsky ’08. “Very soulful playing.”
The recital was the first of the Russell House Series. The Russell House Series, a collaborative effort between the Russell House and the Center for the Arts, is a defining feature of the Russell House. The historic building provides a new location for students to immerse themselves in the arts at Wesleyan.
“It’s such a beautiful house to hold events in. It’s great to see old and new faces,” said Barbara Ally, Events Manager of the Center for the Arts.
Niskala’s performance was a strong start for the Russell House Series, setting a high standard for the performances to come. The event may have even influenced a pre-frosh visiting Wesleyan.
“[There was] so much emotion [evoked] from the keys,” said Lilly Fink–Shapiro of Cincinnati, Ohio. “I think it’s really cool that something as cool as this is going on. There is such a variety of activities and it’s inspiring.”
An informal reception followed the performance. The comfortable ambiance
Niskala so masterfully created with her music continued into the gathering, where she mingled with audience members over tea and snacks.
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