Students gathered for an evening of music as student performers Emilio Novay and Elianna Lael headlined a student concert series event Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. in the Montview Starbucks.
Hosted by Student Activities, the concert featured a blend of original acoustic folk and powerful R&B. Cort Comfort, director of Student Activities, emphasized the intentionality behind choosing Starbucks as the venue.
“The (typical) concert energy isn’t as present in Starbucks, which is a more relaxed setting,” Comfort said.
The event, which is separate from the School of Music’s academic recitals and Student Activities’ Open Mic, is specifically designed as an entertainment-focused show with two pre-planned performers. Comfort highlighted that these dedicated student concerts offer a unique opportunity for performers.
“When you’re a young student, to perform is a unique opportunity — we’re dedicating the whole show to the student,” Comfort said.
Emilio Novay opened the evening, performing a set of his original songs. Novay’s music was accompanied by an acoustic guitar, supporting fiddle melodies and harmonizing backup vocals.
Freshman Riley Barden, who played fiddle for Novay, described the preparation process.
“Emilio and I are in music theory together, and, just in a conversation, I brought up that I played fiddle style, and he asked me if I wanted to join in this performance,” Barden said.
She added that the collaboration involved a lot of improvisation, with Emilio providing chords and Barden using her ear to create fiddle parts.
“Everything sounded pretty good, and really glorifying to God, cause Emilio’s lyrics are great, and I think all of our hearts were really in it,” Barden said.
Following Novay, Elianna Lael took the stage as the headlining act. She performed several popular songs, such as Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” and Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
Freshman Callie Schrodt said she enjoyed Lael’s rendition of Adele’s hit.
“My favorite moment was when she sang ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele, because I really like Adele and I really love that song and I think she did a really good job portraying the emotion and the passion that is … in the song,” Schrodt said.
Schrodt said these concerts are crucial for fostering a sense of belonging.
“I think it can really bring a binding sense of community because it brings people from all backgrounds and people with all different tastes in music, but we can all come together and just appreciate the value and talent and passion that these artists have, and just be a witness together,” Schrodt said.
Clark is an on-campus news reporter for the Liberty Champion.