Fresh from her school’s first trip to the state volleyball tournament in 14 years, Iola High School’s Emma Piazza is taking an opportunity to catch a quick breath. MUSIC’S APPEAL, Piazza said, is how it draws on the listener’s emotions. ONCE THE curtain falls, it’s time once again for Piazza to lace up her sneakers and hit the basketball court.
Or maybe not.
In between the conclusion of volleyball — Iola took fourth at the state tournament in Salina, the Fillies’ first-ever state medal — and the start of basketball practice Nov. 17, Piazza has a role in the upcoming IHS drama production, “Almost, Maine,” next weekend at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
And prior to that, Piazza will entertain an Iola Community Theatre crowd Saturday as part of its “One Night Stand” series.
The curtain rises at 7 p.m. Free-will donations will be collected for admission.
Piazza, daughter of Iolans Tony and Terri Piazza, will present acoustic covers of contemporary pop songs from such artists as Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse and Maroon 5 on her guitar and ukulele.
Such a hectic schedule is old hat for the 17-year-old honor student, who is a leader in the classroom, on the volleyball and basketball court and in the swimming pool.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” she admitted. “Time has gone pretty fast.”
While Piazza has performed with choirs and done solo pieces, she’s never performed a full-length show on her own.
“I’m not as nervous as you might think,” she said. “It’s more of an excitement.”
The impetus for Saturday’s show came two years ago when Piazza caught former IHS student Maggie Wilson playing at the same venue.
Over the summer, Piazza approached Iolan Richard Spencer, who has directed several stage plays at the ICT warehouse, about the opportunity to do something similar.
He quickly agreed.
While performing solo is a new experience for Piazza, performing is not.
Piazza has graced local stages on multiple occasions through IHS Singers and choir productions and high school and youth plays.
Piazza’s family has long been ingrained in the local arts scene. Both of her parents are drama instructors at Allen Community College. Older brother, Alex, is a choir instructor at a middle school in Wichita.
“My grandfather was a big band instructor, too,” she said.
“When you think that all it takes is music to make somebody happy, that’s pretty amazing,” she said.
She also favors slow ballads, but not “songs that are too slow. I don’t want to depress the audience.”
Piazza studied guitar under the guidance of Iolan Randy Bevard. She also dabbled with the cello as a youngster, and has recently picked up the ukulele.
“It’s a little easier with only four strings,” she joked.
She’ll get the inspiration to learn a song from about anywhere: radio, television live performances, it doesn’t matter.
If Piazza finds a song to her liking, she’ll next try to find sheet music with the proper chords and tab.
“A lot of times they won’t be perfect,” she said. “That’ll take some tweaking with practice.”
Piazza can master a song within a few days.
One stands out: “Glitter In The Rain,” by Pink.
“I’d heard somebody else play it on acoustic, and it sounded amazing,” she said.
So does Piazza’s soulful rendition of Winehouse’s “Valerie,” which drew rave reviews when she performed it at the IHS Little Oscars banquet in May.
As a senior, she is one of a core group who has started in volleyball and basketball since their sophomore year.
The state volleyball berth capped years of work, and plenty of losses, as the young Fillies took their lumps before finding their stride in 2013.
A similar pattern has developed in basketball. Iola won only once in 2012-13 before improving to 13 wins in 2013-14 and winning a Pioneer League championship.
“It was definitely quite an adjustment going from our freshman year to starting on varsity,” she said. “It was tough, but I think our struggles then make our success now feel even better. It makes it much more worth it.”
Piazza promises to enjoy it a bit, too.
But first she has to catch her breath.
Teen offers acoustic showcase
