Serena Kiele Barrett, Piano Senior Recital

Serena Barrett will perform a senior recital featuring works by James Lee III, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, and Modest Mussorgsky. Serena Barrett is a senior at Western Washington University majoring in Piano Performance under the instruction of Professor Jeffrey Gilliam. Serena grew up in Seattle, Washington, where she began taking piano lessons at age five. While enjoying her classical piano studies, she discovered a love of jazz music in high school, as well as a passion for salsa music in community college. She has always tried to immerse herself in as much music as possible, joining every ensemble that she was eligible for throughout her school years such as wind ensembles (where she played flute), symphonic choirs, vocal jazz groups, jazz bands, jazz combos, a salsa band, and musical theatre orchestra pits. She finds that her most fulfilling musical experiences have always involved working with other musicians who are similarly passionate about their art. Serena has enjoyed the variety of performance opportunities that have come her way throughout her time at Western, including the 2022 Virginia Glover Competition, for which she was honored to be awarded first prize. During her time at Western, Serena has gratefully accepted the William Sanford Piano Scholarship, the Ford Hill Piano Scholarship, the Don C. Walter Memorial Scholarship, the Lloyd Walworth Music Scholarship, and the Jeffrey Gilliam Piano Scholarship. After graduating, Serena plans on teaching private lessons and pursuing performance opportunities in the Seattle area – primarily within the realm of musical theatre and classical accompanying.