On Tuesday, March 8, Colgate students and faculty gathered in Donovan’s Pub for an evening of food, company and music. Hosted by the Center for Career Services, the Music and Youth showcase featured some of the most talented musicians on campus in a cappella groups, bands and solo performances.  

The Music and Youth Showcase was an interesting way to get students excited about the Music & Youth summer internship program in Boston. Acceptance into the program affords students the unique opportunity to use their talent to help teach music to youth in the Boston area. The organization’s mission to help aspiring musicians provides students with a valuable experience, as they help the community by being inspirational figure to others.

The evening certainly inspired and captivated the audience, while motivating many potential applicants.

“I’m thinking about participating in the fellowship. I love teaching music,” sophomore Andrew Kolesar said.

While many students attended the showcase to learn more about the Boston internship; some in the audience were simply curious and eager to hear some of the talent on campus. Performances from the Dischords included Ariana Grande’s “Tattooed Heart” and Kanye West’s “Heartless,” while the Resolutions performed Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie.” Unique spins on these fan favorites gave the Music and Youth audience a new way to appreciate the songs, as audience members happily joined in singing the familiar lyrics from their tables.

First-year Madeline Mangnall captivated the audience with her solo keyboard performance, which included Norah Jones’ most famous song “Don’t Know Why” and Leonard Cohen’s original “Hallelujah.” Spectators were drawn to her moving vocals and piano playing, listening intently as she carried the audience through her seamless and entrancing performance.

It was surprising for many students to learn about their peers’ hidden musical talents.

“The Music and Youth showcase is a cool way for people to learn about the talent on campus,” first-year Matthew Glick said.

The evening closed with performances from student band N0Standards, and a surprise performance from first-year Uyiosa Omorogbe. N0Standards pumped up the crowd with some funky tunes, including the song “Goon Squad” by the Boston band Ripe. Junior Brittney Dorow’s powerful and dynamic vocals were the perfect complement to the upbeat music that band members (and audience members alike) jammed along to.

Inspired by the music played during the night’s performances, audience member Omorogbe surprised everyone with a final and unexpected performance. Singing Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” he astounded the crowd with his own vocal talents.

All in all, the night’s performances were definitely a way to bring everyone together, to showcase some of the talented musicians on campus and to show a little of what the Music and Youth Fellowship is all about. The different musical performances and the work of the Center for Career Services made this event a great success, reminding audience members of the importance of music and the need to pass on the love for it to others.