Thursday, March 12. The Department of Music’s Corks and Chords took to Asteria Theatre’s stage for a night of wine, hors d’oeuvres and classical music. The event is a fundraiser put on by CMU for the music department. Corks and Chords features a cast of CMU students & faculty doing performances ranging from jazz, classical and even modern pop hits. 

The night started off with the Vocal Arts Ensemble doing a cover of Jake Runestad’s El Aire Baila – a choir piece that exercised the male and female vocal ranges. It was after this performance that the main stage dimmed, and a violin player was illuminated from the top left balcony – outside the scope of the stage. Brian Krinke of the music department gave an energetic rendition of Federigo Fiorillo’s Caprice. 

As Krinke dazzled the audience, traipsing about in the darkness of the main stage, students unloaded a battalion of instruments. As soon as Krinke’s piece ended, light was cast back to the main stage, illuminating the Jazz Ensemble who wasted no time penetrating the silence with their cover of “A Night in Tunisia”.

“Stepping on stage is always a mix of nerves and excitement for me, ” senior music major Teagan Metz said. 

Metz is part of the Commercial Ensemble that delighted the Asteria with their rendition of Earth Wind & Fire’s “September”. “Since we were performing ‘September,’ it was really just about capturing that fun energy of the song and making it feel natural. I focused on staying really locked in rhythmically and keeping everything light, just making sure that energy came across and didn’t feel forced.”

 The night would follow a pattern of small groups of musicians prowling in the dark corners of Asteria, using the center-stage’s display as a distraction. When the larger ensemble on stage would end, the light would be redirected to a new location where a clandestine bandmember would erupt into the next song. It was a clever way to keep the show marching on with little downtime needed between songs. Some members of the audience were seen exerting free-will, choosing to opt out of having to crane their neck in an inorganic posture for however long an interluding song would take. I momentarily suspected the old woman next to me might’ve surreptitiously smuggled in a clarinet to join the band in their next song.

“I felt excited and ready [to go on stage],” said sophomore music education major and saxophonist, Tommy Masciullo. “​​As I have gotten used to performing these past years, the spotlight has gotten easier and easier to handle,”. 

Ending the concert on a unique reinterpretation of Tears for Fears “Mad World”, the Rowdy Brass Band featured a vocalless cover of the 80’s pop hit.

“I think the Rowdy Brass Band’s performance of “Mad World” went quite well. I received a few comments of praise from peers about it, and I myself felt that the performance was the best we have played that piece so far as a group!” Masciullo said.