Introducing...Commercial Music: A Pop Concert
Published: February 08, 2023 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 4 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Department of Music presents Introducing…Commercial Music: A Pop Concert featuring the SUU Commercial Music Ensemble Alternate Currents on Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Center Theater. The concert is free and open to the public.
Introducing…Commercial Music: A Pop Concert will be the program’s first-ever community concert since the program’s inception in the fall of last year, but that does not mean that Alternate Currents is lacking in stage experience. In the five months that the group has been performing together, they already have an SUU Battle of the Bands win under their belt, as well as performances at the BumbleBerry Inn stage in Springdale, Utah.
“I have been looking forward to this concert for over a year now, as it’s the first concert at SUU to feature Commercial Music students,” shares the program’s director, Dr. McKay Tebbs. “These students have worked hard to learn the music and prepare for success, and it will be wonderful to see it all come to life on the big stage in the Heritage Center Theater. I love working with these students and helping them to realize their potential.”
The concert will kick off with a performance by The Brady Poor Group, which was organized as a creative outlet by Commercial Music student and saxophonist Brady Poor. Alternate Currents will then take the stage to perform covers of popular artists such as The Beatles, Adele, and Natasha Bedingfield, as well as original songs written by members of the group. To finish the show, the SUU Combined Choirs, directed by SUU alumnus Dr. Andrew Briggs, will join Alternate Currents in showcasing an original song by Dr. Tebbs called “Jessica’s Star” and will end the evening with Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and “Right Now” by Van Halen.
Savannah Billeter, a sophomore Commercial Music Tech major is most looking forward to performing her original song “Failed Tears.” She says, “I have been writing music ever since I was 12 years old, and it is a dream to be able to finally do something with it. I feel like I am finally learning skills that will help me to develop my career as an artist and songwriter.”
In addition to Savannah, three other Alternate Currents band members will be sharing their original works. Pénélope Campion, a freshman vocalist and pianist all the way from Grenoble, France shares, “I am so looking forward to performing my original song ‘Standing Out’ for the first time ever in concert. It is amazing that I can finally get to study what I love and learn new ways to write, produce, and record songs. I am so grateful for the opportunities that have come from performing in the band and with other groups at SUU.”
“I feel incredibly lucky to have this wonderful chance to study music, write songs, and discover all of the cool things that this new program has to offer alongside my classmates,” says Ellie Zierse, a freshman vocalist and guitarist from Las Vegas, Nevada. “I am very, very excited to perform my own song and perform in a concert with such variety and range of emotion.”
Don’t miss out on the chance to see SUU’s newest music program in action at Introducing…Commercial Music: A Pop Concert on Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Heritage Center Theater. It is guaranteed to be a night full of fun for all ages. To learn more about SUU arts events, please visit www.suu.edu/arts.
About the Commercial Music Program at Southern Utah University
The Commercial Music program at SUU was started in the Fall of 2022 and allows students to learn songwriting, recording, music technology, entrepreneurship, and performance skills, all with an emphasis in commercial and contemporary styles of music. The commercial music ensemble Alternate Currents features a horn section, rhythm section, backup singers, and a lead vocalist. They play a variety of classic Pop/R&B tunes along with original songs written by members of the group. Alternate Currents won the “Best Band” award in the 2022 SUU Battle of the Bands and have been a featured act at the BumbleBerry Inn stage in Springdale, Utah.
To be accepted into the Commercial Music program, students must perform an audition where they play two songs for members of the SUU faculty. One song could be a cover of a favorite artist/band or anything that would showcase their ability. The second song can be an original song written by the student. The ability to improvise is also desirable for instrumentalists. Questions about Commercial Music at SUU can be sent to the program’s director, Dr. McKay Tebbs, at mckaytebbs@suu.edu.
Tags: Student Music Technology Music Community College of Performing and Visual Arts