Students perform in Celebration Hall

Violinist Alaina Beatty of Washington and pianist Nicole Roetlin of Kalona presented a wide variety of classical to contemporary pieces on Sunday, March 16, 2014, in Celebration Hall at Iowa Mennonite School. In addition to solo pieces and a composition she had written in her advanced music class under Josh Tyson, Alaina was joined by her sister, Alijah, a ninth-grader at IMS, for a violin duet with Nicole at the piano. Chamber Singers Eleya Raim, Hannah Miller, Anne Buckwalter, Shay Durflinger, Kaylin Brokaw and Alaina Beatty also sang two numbers.

Nicole was joined on two vocal numbers, one with ukelele and one with piano and guitar by her aunt, IMS alumna Mischa de Jesus, who is currently a sophomore at Hesston College. IMS classmates Summer Schrock, Kaylin Brokaw, and Renee Buckwalter combined their piano talents with Nicole performing a piece for eight hands at two grand pianos. Renee also played a lighthearted duet with Nicole while the audience clapped in time as the Beatty sisters and Josh Tyson provided comic relief by darting from behind the curtain in time to the music. Susan See accompanied the violin solos and also played a duet with Nicole.

The reception that followed gave everyone a chance to congratulate the girls and share some delicious snacks and punch.