Pop Ensemble bursts onto Cornell music scene
If you’ve heard Green Day, Chappell Roan, or Beatles songs coming from Armstrong Hall on Monday or Wednesday nights, it’s not a pickup band. It’s the Cornell College Music Department’s new Pop/Contemporary Ensemble rehearsing for its debut on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Thomas Commons’ Smith Dining Room.
“Across the country and regionally here in the eastern Iowa corridor we are seeing traditional classical music programs make a home for CCM—Contemporary Commercial Music—as an area both of academic study and performance practice,” says the director, Artist Instructor of Voice Benjamin Laur.
Laur holds three degrees in voice performance and pedagogy and is known for leading Cornell’s Opera Theatre program.
“But when I was barely a teenager I was screaming Nirvana songs and punk rock into a beat-up microphone in my friend’s basement where we thought we had a band going,” he says. “And side-by-side with my classical training I write songs, play guitar, and I have a contemporary worship gig at my church. So it’s sort of an ideal ensemble for me, and I’m really grateful to get to work with them.”
The new ensemble has 12 members, with room for more to join after winter break, Laur says. There are singers and a band with keyboard, drumset, and acoustic, electric, and bass guitars. Just two of the members major in music.
“Everyone else comes from myriad other majors across campus,” Laur says.
Lead guitarist Oskar Diyali, a computer science and data science major, used to meet friends twice a week at Armstrong to play together. Now the sophomore is rehearsing music he loves for credit.
“Every rehearsal is an opportunity to learn, and performing live with the collective effort of all the bandmates is always electrifying,” he says. “This opportunity on campus was something I was always waiting for. As a rock genre musician, I’m very happy that the Music Department at Cornell College introduced this ensemble because I’m able to represent myself musically on campus, even though I’m not a music major.”
Brittni Tieden is a junior music education major who sings and plays bass guitar in the ensemble.
“This is a new exciting opportunity for me because I came into the group with no prior knowledge on how to play guitar and now I’m playing bass guitar for two of the songs in our set,” she says. “I spend a lot of time in Armstrong practicing for choir and bettering myself on other instruments. This gives me another reason to come hang out and practice in my favorite building! And I’ve made new friends in this group that I may not have had the chance to meet otherwise.”
Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Music Chris Nakielski pioneered the department’s exploration of popular music last year. After noticing students like Diyali in the building rehearsing, he introduced his Contemporary Songwriting course.
The department moved quickly to set up the Pop/Contemporary Ensemble. And on Oct. 13 the group will perform 11 songs from a diverse range of contemporary artists—including three that were audition pieces students brought, and one student request (Journey):
- “Help!,” The Beatles
- “American Idiot,” Green Day
- “As It Was,” Harry Styles
- “Girl On Fire,” Alicia Keys
- “Killing Me Softly,” The Fugees cover
- “Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter
- “II Most Wanted,” Beyonce ft. Miley Cyrus
- “Zombie,” The Cranberries
- “We Will Rock You,” Queen
- “Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan
- “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey
“This ensemble is an absolute joy to rehearse,” Laur says. “It’s students making music they love, exploring artistry and self-expression, and lifting up a tradition that deserves a place in communities like Cornell. I’d love to see it become more woven into campus life. I can imagine this ensemble playing sets for events like Ramapalooza, Homecoming, The Big Event. Maybe even something for graduation. The students have a lot to give and we are eager to find homes for what they are creating.”
The Pop/Contemporary Ensemble shares the program on Oct. 13 with Cornell’s Jazz Ensemble, which will perform first. Both groups perform again, at the same time and place, on Sunday, Dec. 15.
