It's the time of the semester when seniors in the music and dance department give their final recitals. Dec. 7 was one such recital, and a healthy crowd gathered in Knuth Hall in the Creative Arts building.

Angela Owyang gave a piano performance at SF State.

"Every show I get a little less nervous," said Owyang, who is starting her master's next year. "With experience and time you start to get accustomed to it."

The night began with a six movement partita by J.S. Bach followed by a Beethoven sonata. The performance concluded with three pieces by Samuel Barber Frederic Chopin, and Sergei Prokofiev.

Owyang played highly intricate material without the aid of reading music.

"To be honest, the quickest part for me is memorization rather that playing written music through perfectly," she said at a reception held after the recital.

One woman in the audience sat making minuscule hand movements and expressive head gestures in time with the music, almost as if she was conducting. Her name is Victoria Neve and she is Owyang's piano teacher here at SF State.

"I'm playing every note," said the professor during intermission. "She transferred here from Hayward about two or three years ago, and since then she has just soared."

"I call her my little fireball," she said.

Owyang said she transferred to SF State because Hayward had suffered a budget cut and therefore lost their bachelor's program in music. She said that she is incredibly grateful to the instruction of professor Neve.

"When I first came here, my playing wasn't what it is now," said Owyang. "She has helped me clean it up."

Her experiences at SF State helped her to be confident enough to laugh off worries about carpal tunnel syndrome, a pianist's nightmare.

"When you learn something well enough, you're fingers remember places," she said. "It's like involuntary action."