Pink LED lights illuminated Stamp Student Union’s Greg Heffley statue Thursday evening as a black backdrop covered the North Atrium’s large windows. Crowding around a makeshift carpeted stage, audience members gathered to watch student musicians perform in Student Entertainment Events’ first “Cozy Concerts” series.
The event featured six musical acts ranging in genres and styles. The featured performers, including both soloists and groups, were all University of Maryland students.
SEE’s concerts director, senior criminology and criminal justice and government and politics major Alex Atherton, designed the event to be an accessible showcase of student musical talent. She said she came up with the idea after studying abroad and watching local performers.
“I really just wanted to create a low-stakes, very relaxed, kind of coffee shop vibe for an event,” Atherton said. “Just a place to platform our students and also just create a little bit of joy on campus.”
[NPR’s Peter Sagal talks future of the humanities at The Clarice]
The vibe was certainly cozy, with the atrium’s usual study space converted into an open concert venue. Musicians played both original songs and covers, while students crowded around the stage on couches and cushioned chairs.
Other audience members stood in the back and listened with their friends. Many more caught snippets of the music as they walked through the area.
“I’m just really interested in the music scene that [this university] has here,” said freshman history major Naomi Richardson. “There’s, like, tens of thousands of students. I figured there must be some kind of music here.”
For more than two hours, the six acts showcased their talent as the evening featured acoustic and electric instrumental performances.
Members of the band Albatross incorporated electric guitar into their rock-esque pieces. Junior psychology major Rachel Groce performed as a guitarist and backing vocalist for the band, which performed a medley of covers and original tracks.
She said she liked the idea of the Cozy Concerts because of her love for music.
“I love music,” Groce said. “By performing, you get to get to know other people who are into music, especially similar things that you’re into.”
Performers stuck around after their sets to talk with audience members and watch each other, creating a supportive atmosphere.
It was senior information science major Grace Yu’s first singing performance in a concert setting. Yu played slower, melodic songs on the piano with help from a friend on the electric guitar.
[Dress to Recess: How Labubus, animal prints could indicate economic downturn]
“It was in a very intimate setting, so it made it more comfortable for me to be able to perform,” Yu said.
The concerts created a symbiotic relationship between performer and audience, with the artists getting the chance to share their work and audience members getting the opportunity to relax and unwind to music on a Thursday night.
“Creating spaces like this where our student body is able to perform and enjoy music is really important,” Atherton said. “We’re hitting that point in the semester where everyone’s getting a little stressed, and a second of sitting down and just listening to music always brightens my day.”
