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AMBER MATTICE
Life & Arts Editor
One thing Fredonia does not lack is music-related events. It seems as though there is always something happening on campus that involves music in one way or another.
Despite the multiple ways that music is integrated into campus life, there are very specific events that reflect certain genres of music. Noontime at Reed sought to do the opposite.
On March 31 at 12 p.m. in Reed Library, a new music event was brought to life that gave students a chance to play what they loved in a more relaxed setting.
The new recital series was an idea posed by Kevin Michki, the music and systems librarian, and Mariami Bekauri, a first-year graduate student and graduate music assistant for the music library. They based the idea on the fact that many other schools do casual music events at noon to give students an opportunity to destress and enjoy something fun during the day.
“Our concept is something sort of along the lines of something that doesn’t last more than an hour, maybe a little less than an hour, for people to enjoy wonderful music played by students from the School of Music but in a somewhat more informal setting than in Mason Hall,” said Bekauri. “And it also gives students, we hope, a chance to perform their music out for the greater Fredonia community.”
The lineup for the event was certainly a diverse one that differed from the typical casual music scene on campus. The performances included two guitarists, a pianist and contemporary singer duet, a clarinetist, a operatic singer and even a harpist.
Each performance was incredibly unique on their own and, given the setting, stood out a great deal.
As noon drew closer, and the event was supposed to start, the garden of Reed Library was full of quiet whispers. It seemed as though everyone in the audience was hesitant to talk because of the setting, but once the music actually started, everyone was incredibly supportive, and claps and cheers echoed off of the walls.
Though it initially seemed strange to many people, the venue worked well with the goals of the recital.
“This event stood out because of the venue and the audience members. The venue had unexpectedly enlightening acoustics. I could hear where my voice was carrying very well,” said junior vocal performance major Steven Maynard. “Also, some audience members are incredible supporters of the arts at Fredonia — and I was happy to be able to bring the music to them.”
Maynard performed “Un’aura amorosa” from “Così fan tutte,” an opera buffa in Italian, by Mozart. He took Noontime at Reed as an opportunity to “air out” the piece he will be performing in the Fredonia Concerto Competition.
Similarly, one of the guitarists that performed, sophomore music composition major John Tocco said, “I feel so much more chill in this environment, like I’m just playing.”
The goal is to have a similar event at the end of each month and make it a regular occurrence. According to Bekauri, there are already some students signed up for the next one and many are excited to see where this goes.
“I definitely hope that it continues. I hope that we can get more attendants at future events if this becomes a more regular, monthly thing,” said sophomore music composition and piano performance major Noah Turner.
With the support of the students, faculty and community members, Noontime at Reed will continue to combine a relaxed setting, live performances and a general love for music in the future.