The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, a relaxing atmosphere, and good music are common characteristics of a college coffee shop.
Students in Dr. Matthew Vala’s Applied Voice class are providing the melodic ambiance for students sipping their Starbucks, by serving up live performances in Illinois State University’s Bone Student Center this semester.
“One of the things for me as a professor is always making sure that if I am teaching a performer that I’m giving them opportunities to perform,” Vala said.
With 28 musical theatre students looking for opportunities to perform, “Live at the Bone” was born. Four concerts will take place on the Starbucks stage in the Bone Student Center during the spring semester featuring different music and performers each time.
The first concert in the series took place February 1 and included a selection that musical theatre students have been practicing in their individual voice lessons. They sang musical theatre, pop, and jazz, with a few of the songs coming from the upcoming spring musical, In Pieces.
Sophomore musical theatre and theatre education double-major Mia-Belle Shannon performed two songs at the first Live at the Bone performance.
“I tend to get a little anxious before I go up on stage, but when I get up there, it all washes away,” Shannon said. “After performing, I’m grateful for the experience and excited to show everyone these songs for the musical coming up in March.”
Approximately 40 attendees expressed their enjoyment by cheering, smiling, and giving a resounding round of applause between sips of coffee.
“I think that the Bone Student Center is a beautiful space that we renovated as a communal space,” Vala said. “I’d love to see this grow over the semester and have the ability to incorporate different things.”
Musical theatre majors Zoe Irving and Stella Coughlin were in the audience showing their support for friends and classmates who were performing.
“I truly enjoyed everything, but I really liked Mia-Belle’s last song. With all the power that she put into it. It was so magical to hear live,” Coughlin said.
Irving will be singing in a future Live at the Bone concert.
“This was a great show, full of talented performers,” Irving said. “I’m excited to see how this performance in the Bone will transfer to the mainstage.”
Vala said the primary goal of these performances is to unite the Illinois State community, showcase the talents of students, provide them with live performance experience, and create an enjoyable atmosphere akin to a college coffee shop vibe.
“Maybe someone from your psychology class, someone you wouldn’t have expected to be there, comes and hangs out during a performance. That’s a conversation starter,” Vala said. “I always tell my students, one of the most important things in our life is for us to be able to be seen by others. College is hard enough as it is, so the ability to have a place where we can break down some barriers and create a community, that’s a good thing,”
Upcoming performances
March 7, 2024, 1-2 p.m.: Highlights from the In Pieces musical
April 4, 2024, 1-2 p.m.: Cover performances from artists like Adele, Lana del Ray, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga
May 2, 2024, 1-2 p.m.: Jazz and Singer/Songwriter performances
February performers
Chloe Baisa, Ava Brines, Molly Fritz, Aneesah Phillips, Andrew Short, Mia-belle Shannon, Autumn Nicole, Logan VanLerberghe, Lorelei Wernecke, and Olivia Wexler.
