VCU’s piano ensemble plays on.

Fingers flying across ivory keys, a bow strumming over tight strings, and vocals emanating from deep within the body; these are some of the motions necessary for making music.

Last Thursday, Virginia Commonwealth University musicians were able to show off what semesters of training can do.

The Department of Music held its piano ensemble in front of an intimate crowd at the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall in the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts.

There were seven performance, ranging from pianists paired with singers and violinists, to an impressive piano duet playing a classic Mozart sonata.

Dr. Dmitri Shteinberg, the Assistant Professor of Piano, has been working with these young musicians for several years.

“It starts in the classroom. As performing artists, we always remember that we perform for a crowd, even if we’re performing for one person,who’s our teacher,” says Shteinberg about the students holding their composure in front of a crowd.

The Department of Music hosts more than 200 concerts every year, so needless to say, for these students, practice makes perfect.