Liz Mantush | staff writer

The Mary Pappert School of Music boasts a nationally ranked program for students, whether their interests are music therapy, technology or performance. This program was on display last Friday when the studio ensemble class performed at Red Caiman Studios. Through the event, students are able to showcase their talents to the Duquesne community, alumni and the general public.

Normally, the live performances take place at the Mary Pappert School of Music and only the audio is broadcast or they’re live. However this time both elements were incorporated.

Students learned that they would be performing live a few weeks into the semester, and the timeline they followed mirrored a professional music gig.

“I’m amazed that they can pull it off, especially from the technical side of things. It’s incredibly impressive,” said Alex Price, director of the studio ensemble and recording class.

Price was responsible for curating the music for the two groups to play. With each class, he tailors which songs the band will work on based on the talents of that individual group.

For this show, the first ensemble opened with “Green Onions” by Booker T. & the MGs. Other selections included “Paper Hearts” by Torri Kelly and “Flyby Night” by RUSH.

Thomas Kikta, director of Duquesne’s Institute of Entertainment, Music and Media Arts, also joined the young musicians on stage. The group played one of his original songs, “To Be,” which he dedicated to his granddaughter who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

The show concluded with the second ensemble playing “All I Wanted” by Paramore, with lead vocals by Lindsey Clark, “Die With a Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, “Running with the Night” by Lionel Richie and an adaptation of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears.

Connor Behary, a senior majoring in Music Technology and Composition in Media, played bass at the show.

For Behary, the performance wasn’t only a way to show off his skills, but a way to pay homage to Duquesne bass professor Hollis Greathouse, who died in the spring. Behary purchased one of Greathouse’s basses and used it for the show.

“Being able to use that bass was really special for me, at what felt like it’s home,” he said.

Aside from the music selection, the entire performance was put together by students. Each ensemble included three engineers, who organized the lighting, sound systems, microphones and the live broadcast.

Audio from the musicians went to the front of house, to the musicians and to the control room to be sent out to broadcast. All of these transactions were handled completely by students with them mixing the audio to fit where it was going.

All of the live mixing was done by the Concert Audio III class. Brian Salipante, a junior, took part in controlling what the performers heard on stage. Some of the musicians used speakers and others used headphones to hear what they were playing in real time.

“I was actually on stage, next to the performers. That way, if they needed anything changed, they could easily motion to me, and I could adjust it,” Salipante said.

After controlling the monitors on stage, Salipante played guitar in the first ensemble.

“It’s nice to kind of also be on that side of it, so you can appreciate what the monitor engineer is doing more,” he said.

Unlike a classical or band performance, the ensembles didn’t have sheet music in front of them while they were playing. In addition to adding a challenge for musicians, it gave them room to improvise and move with the music.

“It’s very informal and ear based. They have to learn their part and figure out what they’re playing,” Price said.

“Paper Hearts” presented a challenge for students, with the original song utilizing a full orchestra. To simulate this, some of the musicians came together to record violins, bass, viola and trumpets. The music was then mixed, and musicians at the live show played over it, creating a full orchestra effect.

Noah Dudas, a junior, worked drums for the entirety of the show, setting up, taking down, tuning the instrument for him to play. He said knowing so many people could tune in either on the broadcast or in person was exciting.

Incorporating both the IEMMA broadcast network and a live performance allows the talents of these musicians to be seen by a larger audience. Their performance at Caiman studios was the first of its kind.

“I think being able to do that proved to a lot of people that we can handle more responsibility, and we can do more productions like this to highlight all the students’ skills,” Dudas said.

Liz Mantush can be reached at mantushl@duq.edu