The spotlight fizzled onto the stage. Seated at a piano, the performer clarified the source of her piece to the audience.

‘This is actually by my friend Sarah Dooley, who wrote this when we were in high school,’ said Carly Blane, a sophomore musical theater major. ‘I thought you might enjoy this.’

The trickling of piano notes danced across the room and a driving melody ascended the silence. Blane sang ‘Life Ain’t Fair,’ her vocals rising in pitch and power as the song progressed. The song stopped and the lights blinked off, cuing the start of the next performer.

This was Blane’s first time performing in the 13th annual Prism Concert, hosted by the Setnor School of Music at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Blane is one of the few non music majors in the student-run concert, although any non music majors could audition to be in the show.

Fourteen acts performed in the show, including the Samba Laranja: The Syracuse University Brazilian Ensemble.

‘We’ve been asked to perform the show a number of times,’ said Josh Dekaney, part-time instructor of percussion at SU and one of the directors of the Brazilian Ensemble.

The concert organizers also asked other groups to perform and take part in the show, like the music industry students.

‘It allows them to see what it’s like managing everything,’ Dekaney said.

The concert, which lasted for an hour and a half, had an array of lighting techniques and musical acts.

‘There’s a mix of performances in the show,’ noted Jen Ortiz, a senior music industry major who attended to support her classmates. ‘Some songs are contemporary classical, some are original and some are from groups like First Year Players.’

The pieces and performers were wide in diversity. The first act was a cappella group Otto Tunes singing ‘I Won’t Give Up.’ The show started in complete darkness, and though the group’s sound resonated through the room, the audience could not pinpoint from where exactly they came.

Another notable performance was the DK Funk Collective. The funk group gave an electrifying and adrenaline-pumping performance with loud, booming solos from the band’s trumpets and saxophones. William DiCosimo played the keyboard. DiCosimo, the director of the music industry program, added to the fun dynamic onstage by making faces at the other players.

As each performer ended and the spotlight faded, a new lighting effect appeared for the next act. Sometimes the spotlight turned orange, fixated on a performer in the balcony. Other times it shone on center stage.

The show ended with the Brazilian Ensemble in an enthralling display of percussion. The ensemble performed behind the audience in the balcony. The audience was so moved it clapped before the ensemble performed its last number. Students danced enthusiastically in their seats.

‘The most important part of the concert is the students,’ Dekaney said.

The excited audience and the grand pounding of the final notes of the ensemble’s piece showed the spirit of the concert. Through music performed by students, audience members were ultimately moved by the diverse acts in the concert.

cmdunder@syr.edu

Published on February 29, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Claire: cmdunder@syr.edu | @ClaireDunderman