The School of Media and the Arts presented the BC Music Tour’s second event of the semester on Thursday, Oct. 29, on the second floor of the Science Center. Beginning at 5:30 p.m, this “Concert At Dusk” featured five short musical performances by the Sanger Center Crew: SoMA Director and Assistant Professor Cullyn Murphy, Academic Program Operations Coordinator Zach Werner, Assistant Psychology Professor Issac Young, Annabelle Sherman’27, Miranda Leach’30, Mathias Gonzalez’30, and returning duo Sophia Corley’29 and J.D. Shoniker’29. Each set occurred before the floor’s window wall, allowing the sunset to accompany each performance.
The Sanger Center Crew opened the event, with Dr. Murphy composing live as Werner and Dr. Young accompanying the track by playing rhythmic guitar melodies. Their set featured a collage of sounds including instrumentals and a layered spoken-word recording written by Dr. Murphy’s father. Performing one original track, the Sanger Center Crew also offered an exclusive experience, as the track’s production remains unique to this event.
“The thing that’s really special to me is getting to know these people in a really creative and exploratory space,” Dr. Murphy said about the crew’s performance. “I love getting to make the music itself, but getting to make decisions with my friends and colleagues is really special. It’s a lot about the collaborative process.”
Dr. Murphy explained this as the purpose of the BC Music Tour. These SoMA events provide collaborative spaces for students and faculty alike to create and perform. “It was kind of this idea too to activate spaces and teach students through modeling of how do you put on a show? The goal is to play shows on [nontraditional] musical venues on campus and get different Beloit student acts involved. It’s almost more important about the act of getting together and doing something than it is about it being a perfect pristine show.”
Sherman followed the Sanger Center Crew with three original songs: “Sweet Life,” “Sister in the River,” and “Magician.” She explained how love and dreams acted as inspirations to her tracks, showcasing her singing skills as she played acoustic guitar. Similarly, Leach sang two original songs, titled “More” and “The Ceiling,” while also playing acoustic guitar. Her themes included infatuation and sacrifice which culminated in her final cover of “Linger” by The Cranberries.
Sharing how music impacts her life, Leach said, “Music is probably the most core aspect of who I am. It’s the thing that doesn’t change.” Opportunities, like the BC Music Tour events, allow students like Leach to display their talents. “Performing is something that I like to do in intimate groups of friends. I’m trying to get better at develop[ing] the skill of performing, which I think is a separate skill from just being able to play good music too.”
Another first-year, Gonzalez, performed three covers in the same fashion as Sherman and Leach. Covering “Luna” by Zoé, “Francés Limón” by Los Enanitos Verdes, and “Canción para Mi Muerte” by Sui Generis, Gonzalez decided to perform due to his love for music. “You’re feeling the music. I just wanted to take a chance,” Gonzalez said, even after saying he feltfeeling anxious about his set.
Finishing the event, returning duo Corley and Shoniker played a new original live for the first time, followed by another original and cover. They appeared at BC Music Tour’s first semester event at the Wright Museum of Art’s Fall Opening Reception, “Reimagined Covers.” Both campus athletes, Corley and Shoniker embody the creative culture at liberal arts colleges like Beloit College, as well as the intentions of the SoMA department. Dr. Murphy said he attempts to unite all students through creative endeavors.“Students that are involved in music classes, students who are not involved in music classes, as well as getting faculty on performances that aren’t part of the music faculty necessarily, I think, [is] one of the low stakes way[s] of doing something together,” he said.
The BC Music Tour will return later this year, with potential music performances taking place in Morse-Ingersoll and Campbell Hall.
Featured image: Jazmin Gomez’27
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