Published: March 20, 2026
On Tuesday, March 10, at 7:30 PM, the Performance Hall at the Crewe Center for the Arts was bustling for the senior recital featuring tenor, Jared Vigue, with collaborative pianists Mackenzie Renner and Scott Wheatley. With the support of his teachers Mary Letellier and Scott Wheatley, Vigue produced a diverse recital program with singing that brought the audience to tears.
The recital began with Vigue and Renner performing a set of songs by Madeline Dring titled Five Betjeman Songs. This included “A Bay in Anglesey”, “Song Of A Nightclub Proprietress”, “Business Girls”, “Undenominational”, and “Upper Lambourne”. Next was a set of French art songs by Gabriel Fauré titled Cinq Mélodies de Venise. In order, they performed “Mandoline”, “En sourdine”, “Green”, “À Clymène”, and “C’est l’extase langoureuse”. After a brief intermission, Vigue was joined by Wheatley to perform An die ferne Geliebte, a song cycle by Ludwig van Beethoven. They then performed “Auf dem Hügel sitz ich spähend”, “Wo die Berge so blau”, “Leichte Segler in den Höhen”, “Diese Wolken in den Höhen”, “Es kehret der Maien, es blühet die Au”, and “Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder”. The last set was Tre Sonetti di Petrarca by Franz Liszt. This gorgeous set included “Pace non trovo”, “Benedetto sia ‘l giorno”, and “I’ vidi in terra angelici costumi”.
During the first half of the recital, Vigue and Renner, both Osher School of Music students, performed Five Betjeman Songs by Madeline Dring and Cinq Mélodies de Venise by Fauré. The Five Betjeman Songs, a lesser-known work, even among musicians in attendance. Both Renner and Vigue gave the audience a splendid taste of Dring’s music, filled with a light playfulness that contrasted the second half. The song cycle by Fauré was well-known among audience members, pulling attention from both classical musicians and non-musicians alike. The duet between the melodic vocal and piano lines was beautifully balanced.
One of the most heartfelt moments of the evening was when Vigue addressed his longtime supporters, both in the audience and on stage. After a prolonged break from singing, Vigue returned to the University of Southern Maine’s Osher School of Music due to the support he received from Wheatley. At the recital, Jared stated, “It is not often that someone takes eight years to do their senior recital, but that’s what happens when you take five years off. I want to say thank you to all my professors who opened the doors up to me so I could come back to school. […] I’d also like to specifically thank this guy over here, my teacher [Wheatley], who is the reason I ever came back.”
The recital concluded with Tre Sonetti di Petrarca, during which the trust and communication between Vigue and Wheatley was abundantly clear. With high peaks for the vocal part that are challenging at the end of an hour long recital, Vigue executed them with ease and poise. Their work showed incredible preparation and a strong commitment to making art that audiences would love.
