Oberlin Senior, Crispin Swank, gave his final recital Saturday in the reverberant shadows of Fairchild Chapel. He decorated the room in a novel and creative way, hanging eight long strings down the length of the chapel in a fan pattern, then draping hundreds of colored strings from each wire. It was a striking effect.

A true multi-talent, Swank sings and self-accompanies, only the third student I've ever had who can do this. He opened his program with a gorgeously sung rendition of Dowland's "Come Heavy Sleep," while sitting, troubadour style on the steps, then followed with Britten's Nocturnal, Op. 60, a natural pairing made magical by the singing and the setting both.

Swank followed with Rodrigo's Fandango and then played the entire Third Sonata, BVW 1005. Both were rendered expertly and with considerable imagination. He decided to drop Regondi's Fête Villageoise, for the sake of time, and concluded instead with another song, this one an original. His soaring falsetto filled the hushed room and left an indelible impression. Swank is an authentic phenom--I hope he keeps up this pairing of solo works and songs. It works.

Bravo Crispin!!