By TI CALPO
Contributing Writer
After opening remarks from host and Music Industry professor Dr. Emily Pinkerton, the show was opened by singer, songwriter, and pianist Skyler Stabin of Rose Record Label Group. Skyler showed off her extensive background in jazz and classical piano, but through her contemporary style of composing. Much like herself, Skyler’s music is fun and witty. She tells the audience she hopes to “jog happy memories” through her songwriting and cites Adele as a big inspiration. Skyler ended her set with a single she hopes to release at the end of the semester through the Saint Rose record label.
Sophia Subbayya Vastek performed songs from her most recent album, “In Our Softening,” which was written for a very specific, century-old upright piano. In comparison, Vastek described the grand Steinway piano in Picotte Recital Hall as “too pristine” for her music. “Part of what we were trying to do for this concert,” Vastek explained, “is finding a new space for this music to inhabit.” Together with her partner and mix engineer Sam Torres, they crafted an exciting sonic atmosphere by blending electronic delays and reverbs with the natural acoustics of Picotte.
Amazingly, this resulted in a similar feel to the record, regardless of being played on an entirely different piano in an entirely different space. Her performance of her composition “The Seas That Made Us” was mesmerizing, resonating both acoustically and emotionally. To close the show, Vastek was joined by Sam Torres on saxophone and Julia Alsarraf on bass guitar to showcase some of her newest songs.
