If there’s one thing that DVC has to offer, it’s talent. Lots of talent that is. Among the hundreds of students that walk on campus, many of these students are musically talented, pouring out superstar quality and we don’t even know it. This superstar quality was witnessed as several music majors performed in a free music recital on Tuesday May 9, which showcased the many musical talents of students in Diablo Valley College’s music program.

The recital was held in M101 at 2:00 p.m. and featured fifteen performances done by various music majors taking Music-100.

The class is called Applied Music, taught by Bret Peppo, where students perform in front of their peers and are given critiques and feedback.

It holds two recitals per semester, and each student is required to perform in at least one.

Student singers, pianists, saxophonists, guitarists, bassists, drummers, trumpeters and more performed a range of numbers from classics to original pieces.

As the semester comes to an end, so does many of the performers’ time at DVC as they have grown as artists while in the music program.

Among the performers was pianist Paul York who played “Falling in Love with Love” by Frank Sinatra for his last recital at DVC. York originally played classical piano and then transitioned to jazz once he entered the DVC music program.

“The biggest thing is how much you learn in the two years you are here. This is my last semester here and the stuff I’ve learned from day one to now is just incredible. There’s a learning curve you go through and it’s great,” said York. 

Each performance followed with applause and cheers by the audience, many who were friends that came to support their fellow performers. Nathan Petersen played the alto saxophone throughout the recital, which also will be his last time playing at DVC.

“When I came for my first semester here, I wasn’t in the music program and once I entered I felt more comfortable. It’s definitely a family. There’s a lot of friends going on and it’s just a nice place to be.”

He also mentioned Matt Zebley as one of his best mentors, who is the Director of Jazz Studies at DVC and acts as a mentor for many other students as well.

“He’s an incredible musician that can teach any instrument. If you have a musical question, he always has the answer. He’s a teacher that could easily perform at some legendary place because he’s that good,” says Caleb Phair, who played the piano in various performances.

The show was a treat to watch, with different types of musical talent with a variety of different instruments played.

Rafael Macedo was the closing performer and played his seven string electric guitar playing, which he’s been playing for over twenty years. “I love performing here. All the teachers are very helpful and I’ve been working a lot. My colleagues are incredibly talented. It’s an environment that helps you to grow a lot. I really love being here,” says Macedo.

The musicians themselves are also pretty inspiring.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see one of these musicians perform at the industry level.

Just wait for it.