The University School of Music’s Concert Spectacular is loaded with a host of expectations, and Friday night the school did its best to live up to the title with a fast-paced and multi-faceted musical journey.
The concert was performed in a no-applause, non-stop format. Musicians in every category took the stage to showcase their talents. From a full orchestra, brass and woodwind ensembles to a beat-boxing flautist, everyone had their time to shine.
Stephen Beck, director of the School of Music, said the non-stop nature of the concert allowed for a unique opportunity to show off nearly every talent the school has to offer.
“Anything and everything we do here in the School of Music gets presented in this format,” Beck said. “The idea is to play non-stop and the audience can be exposed to everything we have to offer.”
Beck said the no-pause nature of the event comes with its own set of problems that can be difficult to overcome.
“We have so many big set changes throughout the night so it is important to distract the audience from the changes going on behind the scene,” Beck said. “We had groups performing in every possible space of the theater so those changes could be made.”
Beck said the Concert Spectacular not only functioned as an event to showcase the talent in the School of Music  — it was also the most important night of the year for fundraising.
“The concert event is our big fundraiser for the year where we invite the community to come and see what we are all about,” Beck said. “In a little over an hour of non-stop music, we can show people what we do in terms of performance. That is the best advertisement we have for our programs.”
Beyond raising money for scholarships and putting on a show, Beck said the concert allows students and faculty from the various musical departments to see each other in action and be inspired by what they do.
“We are so busy doing our individual activities and our own research it is hard for us to hear what everybody else is doing,” Beck said. “It is a great opportunity to relish in the quality of the faculty and students we have here.”
Despite the difficulties of combining dozens of different performances and set changes, the performance did go off without a hitch. As the last note of the finale faded to silence, the audience erupted with applause they had been holding back for an hour and a half.
Beck said the school looks forward to the concert every year and for him it never disappoints.
“Nearly every form of American music has ties to the state of Louisiana,” Beck said. “The concert is able to celebrate that and show the strength of the musical program at the University.”