On Oct. 16, “Arts at Noon” hosted its second show of the season, featuring four unique performances by students studying piano, voice, guitar and saxophone. Some acts were solo, while others were duets, giving the audience a nice mix of styles and sounds. The hour-long concert offered a relaxed and intimate experience, with a small crowd enjoying the talent on display.
In September of 2025, Oakland University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance launched a new concert series called Arts at Noon. The series takes place in Varner Recital Hall once every month on Thursdays. OU students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to attend the free concerts for a relaxing midday break to watch student performances.
Arts at Noon is a collaborative thing among all the music faculty, run by Alta Dantzler,” Bret Hoag, special lecturer of classical and jazz guitar, said. “Any student who is preparing for a recital, or just testing something out, or just wants to perform, this is the venue for that.”
Although the concert series is designed for the OU community to enjoy free performances during a break in their day, it also gives students in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance a great opportunity to practice performing in front of an audience before more formal recitals.
“Performers can work out the kinks beforehand, there’s the etiquette, what it feels like to wear a formal dress or suit, and any of that stuff,” Hoag said. “The more that performers perform categorically, they get better by osmosis and by work and all other stuff, they learn what feels good or doesn’t.”
The first performer of the concert was Yuhan Wei, a senior piano performance major. She played two solo pieces that she had been practicing and perfecting for about two months. This was her first time performing these pieces in front of an audience.
“I think especially for piano performance majors it’s very important to have experience performing in front of a big or small audience, just to get a sense of what it’s like to perform and get ready for a formal performance,” Wei said
The third performance featured Jack Murphy, a junior music technology student. He played a solo guitar piece that he had only performed a few times in front of his guitar ensemble at OU but hadn’t yet played in front of a larger audience.
“I think I walked away a little bit more confident in myself and being able to be on stage and not freak out,” Murphy said. “I feel like it wasn’t really something to be that nervous about since it was such a small audience, but I think it helped me improve by practicing this piece more.”
Arts at Noon is a great way to highlight the wide range of talent at OU, giving student performers a chance to showcase their skills in a supportive setting. It not only introduces the campus community to the work happening in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, but also provides performers with valuable experience on stage, helping them grow more comfortable, confident and connected to their music.
“I think it’s a really important and incredibly valuable thing,” Hoag said. “The only way to practice what it feels like to be on stage is to do it. So I think this is an incredibly important thing to get ready for other stuff and to see what feels comfortable and what doesn’t feel comfortable.”
The next concert of the series will be on Nov. 13, and the continuing concerts will be posted on the OU events calendar or through the Art at Noon calendar.
