Students as well as members of the Hamilton community gathered at the Colgate Memorial Chapel last Sunday, January 31, to hear Laura Klugherz play the violin alongside Steven Heyman on the piano. Excitement filled the room before these two artists took the stage, as people looked over the programs that they had been greeted with at the door. The program offered up information regarding these two talented musicians and their incredibly successful careers. Reading it created even more anticipation for the performance to come. 

The audience was so eager to see and hear these two play that a great round of applause alerted people who may have been distracted to the fact that Klugherz and Heyman had taken the stage. This enthusiastic response to the appearance of these musicians set the tone for the entire performance, as the

energy level remained quite high throughout. 

Klugherz and Heyman began playing almost immediately, filling the chapel with the sound of beautiful music. The effect of their playing was to put everyone at ease, but also to keep them alert and intrigued. Their music had a riveting quality to it, which was combined with the two students’ passion. Klugherz and Heyman complemented each other wonderfully, playing completely in synch. They performed music composed by Mozart, Andre Previn and Robert Russell Bennet, to name a few. 

“I was mesmerized by the sound of the music, and also by the visual of the two performing together. It was like I couldn’t look away. Some of the music was uplifting and upbeat, and some of it reminded me more of a slow, intricate dance. Other times it sounded urgent and frantic. It was all beautiful,” first-year Olivia Preston said.

Klugherz and Heyman also had a couple of playful moments where they would come to a pause in the music, look at each other and smile and then play one final note. The audience laughed almost every time they did this, enjoying the

light-hearted spirit of the performance.

“I really enjoyed the moments where they would play off of each other’s energy and do quirky things. It was nice to see them have fun with it and that allowed me to get into the performance a lot more. You could tell that they really enjoy playing together. It was also really cool when Klugherz played the violin by just tapping the strings with her bow, instead of drawing it across them. That was something different and interesting, and it sounded really cool,” first-year Gizem Dursuk said.

The two musicians took several bows throughout the length of the entire performance, and each time they were met with a long and powerful applause. It became apparent that the audience’s reaction to the performance had a positive effect on the musicians. Heyman would sway back and forth on the piano bench, getting carried away with the music. Klugherz would throw her head back and nod along to her own playing. At their final bow, Klugherz and Heyman received a well-deserved standing ovation.