Mohit Dubey gave his final recital at Oberlin last night. A double major (Physics), he came back for a ninth semester to wrap up all his projects here, and graduates this month. He played a wide range of challenging and varied pieces, and through the use of video and surprise collaborations, created an event to remember. He was a dedicated performer from the time he first enrolled, always making and seizing collaborative opportunities, and in doing so, creating a large cadre of friends and colleagues who have enjoyed working with him and who have heard him in various other settings. This semester alone, in addition to preparing his final solo recital and playing a big piece in Guitar Ensemble, Mohit learned the Concerto d’Aranjuez, accompanied the flamenco dance class, played in CME (Contemporary Music Ensemble) and in PI (Performance and Improvisation), and took lessons on the West African kora. In the background, he was editing and mastering the guitar duo CD he recorded with recent grad, Brian King; and applying for follow-up programs and new ventures. (He will spend half a year in Alicante, Spain, in the “Master Guitar Alicante” program, taking lessons with M. Barrueco, D. Russell, R Gallèn, the Assads, J. Savall, I. Rodes, P. Romero, P. Galbraith and others). So, it was no surprise that he drew a large crowd. In fact, Kulas Hall has seldom been that packed for a guitar recital: nearly every seat was taken. By the program’s end, the wildly enthusiastic crowd gave a heartfelt standing ovation, capping a brilliant undergraduate career here.

Mohit’s program was both typical and unusual. He played works of Bach, Giuliani and Rodrigo. He gave the premiere of a new work written for him by a fellow student (Liam Kaplan). And he played a seldom-programmed large work by Andrew York, based on mathematical concepts and equations, accompanied by animations created especially for the concert, vividly harnessing his dual interests in music and physics. afterwards, he treated us to an encore played on the West African kora, a multi-stringed instrument unique to that region, in collaboration with classmate and cellist, Raffi Boden, and while playing, sang an African song to close the program. It was beautiful and touching.

Bravo and congratulations, Mohit. We look forward to seeing what the future brings!

Following are images from the evening; the program is at the end of the post.

Mohit’s Junior Recital, his Sophomore Recital, and his Freshman Recital.