{"id":114861,"date":"2024-09-23T09:50:51","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&p=114861"},"modified":"2024-09-23T09:51:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:51:45","slug":"student-performers-historic-inauguration-week","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2024\/student-performers-historic-inauguration-week\/","title":{"rendered":"BU Student Performers Are Thrilled to Be Part of Historic Inauguration Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBU Student Performers Are Thrilled to Be Part of Historic Inauguration Week\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

With on- and off-campus performances\u2014from jazz to color guard\u2014Terriers will add a festive note to weeklong celebration of Melissa L. Gilliam\u2019s September 27 inauguration<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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September 23, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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This article was originally published in BU Today<\/a><\/em> on September 20, 2024. By Sophie Yarin. Photo by Cydney Scott<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The approaching inauguration of Melissa L. Gilliam as the 11th president of Boston University is a momentous event in BU\u2019s 185-year history, and as the community prepares for a week of celebration and ceremony, dozens of talented student performers have been working diligently to get ready to perform.
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To mark BU\u2019s first inauguration in almost 20 years, acts from the ROTC color guard to a competitive dance team will be performing at different Inauguration Week events on and off campus, putting their creativity and dedication on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gilliam, whose late father was a renowned abstract painter and mother a groundbreaking journalist, came into her role as president with a passion for the arts: one of her priorities is to increase the visibility of the University\u2019s many creative communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melissa L. Gilliam at Boston University\u2019s 2024 Matriculation ceremony earlier this month. Photo by Hannah Rose<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe arts enliven and enrich all of us and have to be a central focus of Boston University,\u201d she said in a recent interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to show to the University what the College of Fine Arts and the BU Bands program has to offer,\u201d says student musician Alexander Chavira (CFA\u201925). \u201cAnd I\u2019m so glad the administration chose to showcase the arts in Dr. Gilliam\u2019s first events as BU president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The week\u2019s festivities kick off at TimeOut Market<\/a> (401 Park Drive, Boston) from 4 to 8 pm on Monday, where the BU community is invited to snack and mingle while a BU six-man jazz comboprovides musical accompaniment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe usually play at smaller, low-key [BU] functions, like Christmas parties or staff events, but for this event we really want to get the mood right and be a bit more than just background music,\u201d says percussionist Julian Saint Denis (CFA\u201925).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saint Denis will perform at the sold-out event with Chavira and Logan Seaburg (CFA\u201925) on saxophone, Karl Lackner (LAW\u201925) on trumpet, Jackson Cross (CAS\u201926) on piano, and Jack Osmond (CAS\u201926) on bass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, two BU groups will perform at an invitation-only dinner at the iconic SoWa Power Station<\/a> (550 Harrison Ave., Boston) from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Under the building\u2019s vaulted ceilings, guests will be treated to a dance number by Unofficial Project<\/a> (UPro), a BU competitive dance team, and an a cappella performance by the vocal group Allegrettos<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur fall rehearsals have quickly commenced with two-hour sessions and rigorous staging,\u201d says Kaitlyn Begley (Questrom\u201925), a UPro dancer. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be more excited to kick off the semester on a high note with this performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UPro will perform a five-minute hip-hop number choreographed by Juliana Choo (COM\u201925) and Zoe Huang (COM\u201925) and feature high-energy tracks from Rihanna and Beyonc\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Allegrettos will perform \u201cIf You Got a Problem\u201d by Joy Oladokun, with Hannah Dubroff (CFA\u201926) singing the solo. \u201cThis is a song that left our group\u2019s repertoire a few years ago, but we keep bringing it back for various events,\u201d says Allegretto member Evan Denenberg (Wheelock\u201925). \u201cWe were asked to perform something inspiring and uplifting, and the song definitely fits the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m excited to show to the University what the College of Fine Arts and the BU Bands program has to offer. And I\u2019m so glad the administration chose to showcase the arts in Dr. Gilliam\u2019s first events as BU president.<\/div>