Spotlight on Sons of Serendip

The Sons of Serendip is a quartet made up of BU alums: (from left to right) cellist and vocalist Kendall Ramseur (CFA’12), pianist and guitarist Cordaro Rodriguez (LAW’12), lead vocalist Micah Christian (STH’13), and harpist Mason Morton (CFA’12). They will be performing tonight on America’s Got Talent. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

Among the dozens of artists who auditioned during the June 10 episode of America’s Got Talent were a stand-up comedian, a teen dance troupe, a performing pig, and a professional archer. But one of the most impressive acts during the two-hour broadcast was a musical quartet featuring BU alums called Sons of Serendip. Comprising lead vocalist Micah Christian (STH’13), harpist Mason Morton (CFA’12), cellist and vocalist Kendall Ramseur (CFA’12), and pianist and guitarist Cordaro Rodriguez (LAW’12), the quartet performed a soulful, understated rendition of “Somewhere Only We Know” took the live audience of 3,000 at Madison Square Garden by storm, winning over judges and viewers alike.

“It kind of transported me somewhere else,” Mel B, one of the show’s judges, told the quartet following their performance. The show’s other judges, Howard Stern (CGS’74, COM’76), Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum, were equally enthusiastic, pronouncing the group’s audition “beautiful” and “fabulous,” before unanimously voting to advance the foursome to the next round of competition.

For those who missed their audition, Sons of Serendip return to America’s Got Talent tonight, where they will compete to earn a spot among the show’s Top 48. (Initially, 100,000 acts auditioned for the show, so just making it to the televised audition was an accomplishment.)

Ramseur describes the quartet’s style as a fusion of R&B, hip-hop, and classical. Their musical influences, equally eclectic, span everyone from Yanni and film composer Hans Zimmer to India Arie and Amos Lee—all making for a distinctive sound that defies genre and, as Morton puts it, “feeds the soul more than entertains.”

Based on their poise and synchronicity, one would think that that the four friends have been performing together for years. However, their television audition last month was only the second time they’ve played together in front of an audience: the first was a concert at Simmons College for a group of about 20. In fact, none of the bandmates had ever planned to form a musical group before Christian suggested auditioning for America’s Got Talent last spring. Prior to that, he and Rodriguez were pursuing careers outside of music, while Morton was teaching harp at the James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury and Ramseur was honing a solo career as a cellist.

The band’s name is a reference to the serendipitous circumstances that brought each member to BU, where they met as graduate students and eventually came to form their quartet. Ramseur initially had trouble deciding where to pursue his Master of Music in Performance, and says he ended up choosing BU at the last minute, after extensive prayer and reflection. Once on campus, he reunited with his old childhood friend Rodriguez; the two grew up together in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rodriguez says he applied to Boston University School of Law accidentally—he thought he was applying to Boston College’s law school. Christian almost decided to forgo his acceptance to the School of Theology in favor of taking a job with Teach for America, but says he changed his mind at the last minute. He met Rodriguez and Ramseur when he hired them to accompany him at a choral concert. “Our story helps us to feel that in some way we belong together,” Christian says.

Morton, who earned an undergraduate degree in harp from Rice University, says the first person he met upon arriving in Boston was Ramseur. He wound up living with Ramseur and Rodriguez and credits the University and, specifically, his mentor, retired professor Ann Hobson Pilot, with giving him the confidence to be able to fulfill his dream of playing on stage. “I came up to Boston without knowing what to expect,” Morton says. “I wanted brotherhood, I got that. I wanted to perform, I got that. I couldn’t ask for three better guys. BU has really helped me get closer to my dream.”

America’s Got Talent has given the Sons of Serendip the kind of national recognition that more established musicians dream of. Their televised audition has been viewed nearly 400,000 times on YouTube and has earned them a small but growing following on Facebook and Twitter.

The four friends say that not only has America’s Got Talent given them the opportunity to reach audiences through their music, it’s given them a chance to interact with other gifted performers. “It is amazing being in that space with so many people from all over the country who are coming together with their different gifts to share,” Christian says. “It was just really inspiring to see so much talent and hear so many beautiful stories of overcoming obstacles and persevering through tough times, and working hard to reach your goals.”

And, while America’s Got Talent is, at heart, a competition—the winning act will earn a million dollar prize at season’s end—Morton says that behind the scenes, the show promotes a sense of camaraderie. “The thing with America’s Got Talent is it doesn’t feel like a competition,” Morton says. “It feels like a family. Everyone’s talented, everybody’s nice, there’s no ego there. We want to win the money, but we all support each other.” In fact, the quartet frequently exchanges complimentary messages with their fellow competitors on Twitter.

Still, the four admit that appearing before a national audience can be daunting. Ramseur admits he gets nervous at the thought of performing on live television and being evaluated by a panel of judges. The fact that the quartet is only months old poses other challenges. “You go from a small room to a stage where there are thousands of people and four judges,” Ramseur says. “You have to perform 100 percent with a group that’s only been together for two months. So, we don’t know how each person will react under those types of circumstances. It’s definitely a little nerve-wracking.”

Despite all the pressure, the group says they were confident that they would advance to tonight’s round. “I think our group is really unique,” Rodriguez says. “I really did believe we were going to make it through.” The friends say they are intent on taking everything one step at a time. Regardless of how they do on America’s Got Talent, they say they plan to continue performing as a quartet and hope to release an album together sometime in the near future.

“It’s great if we win, but if we could just have successful careers and be able to make a living off of doing what we love as brothers together, that would be amazing to me,” Ramseur says.

In the video above, shot by students in COM assistant professor Chris Cavalieri’s Academy of Media production class, Sons of Serendip perform Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Sons of Serendip will appear on America’s Got Talent tonight from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (EST) on NBC stations. Click here for more information about the show.

Samantha Pickette can be reached at pickette@bu.edu.