Senior Malik Hamza will be performing a senior recital on May 21 in the Hebron auditorium from 2-4 p.m. The show will include solo performances by Hamza, accompanied with a brass quintet, percussion and piano.

Hamza chose and prepared all the music pieces he plans to play by himself. He had to write out an arrangement for the music, which was originally written for piano, and reduce it to the notes for a brass quintet. The quintet will include trumpet players Joseph Miller and Jackson Keeney, french horn player Brendan Schmidt, euphonium player Trevor Hoffman and tuba player Zavier Vega Yu. Percussion will be played by Dylan Khangsar.

“The biggest thing was deciding what to play,” Hamza said. “[I had to ask myself] what I could do to really show range and contrasting pieces, and also [get] stuff that is entertaining enough and [make it] fun for the people involved and also the audience.” 

Head director Andy Sealy has known Hamza since his eighth grade year and has watched him grow and take opportunities presented to him. Hamza has done solo performances, entered solo competitions, both virtually and live, and performs with The Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.

“We have a lot of talented musicians and a lot of very eager, brilliant players,” head director Andy Sealy said. “What makes Malik unique is his broad range of listening, [his interest in] different styles [and] his talent level. He has just the right kind of eclectic drive to be able to make it in the musician’s world.”

Sophomore Anna Hamrick met Hamza last year through playing the same instrument as him. They said since meeting him, Hamza has matured and become a leader and role model throughout the band program.

“He really cares a lot about music,” Hamrick said. “It’s a really big part of who he is, [and] that says a lot about what he’s qualified for. I think since it’s his senior recital, it’s kind of a big last performance before he goes away to [college]. It’s a good way to send him off and congratulate him for his four years here.”

After high school, Hamza plans to pursue an undergraduate degree in trombone performance and major in music at The Manhattan School of Music.

“I really love what I do,” Hamza said. “I love playing trombone, and I want to be able to share that with my peers. I feel like this recital is a great opportunity for me to get some performance experience. It’ll be something that I remember for a long time.”

Sealy said it is rare for high school students to want to do these types of performances; however, they have a few every couple of years. Sealy said it makes Hamza unique because, while most students are coasting to the end of the year and doing less, he’s taking on more. 

“You [don’t necessarily] have to have any special qualifications for the recital, other than the desire to perform and a willingness to prepare,” Sealy said. “Those are the most important things, but what’s going to make this recital a good recital and experience for him and the listener is the fact that Malik is going to prepare hard. He’s going to deliver a good musical, [artistic and] professional product to the audience. That’s going to be why it’s worth it to go.”