SBU music students head to Hollywood for a first-hand look at the music industry and careers
By Cameron Hurst, ’19
Two thousand, five hundred and forty-seven miles. Upon my enrollment at St. Bonaventure University, never did I believe that my undergraduate career would include a school-sponsored trip of that distance, which equals the mileage between SBU and Loews Hollywood Hotel in the heart of Los Angeles. But, the improbability of traveling that distance didn’t even scratch the surface of the experience that seven other students, our two professors and I had while in attendance at the 2019 ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) “I Create Music” Expo. Over the course of three days, we attended masterclasses, networked with fellow musicians and learned just how supportive the often-misunderstood music industry – reported by ASCAP to be a $1.2 billion dollar business last year – truly is.
Attending the annual ASCAP EXPO in Hollywood were (front row, from left) Christina Giglio, Michelle Onofrio, Angelina Giglio, Noelle Acaso, music lecturer Laura Peterson, and Jessica Matias. In back (from left) are Cameron Hurst, Kathleen Garvey, music professor Dr. Les Sabina, and William Vink.
None of this would have been possible without SBU professor of music Dr. Les Sabina and lecturer Laura Peterson, who worked for nearly a year to organize the trip that brought Noelle Acaso, Billy Vink, Angelina Giglio, Christina Giglio, Kathleen Garvey, Michelle Onofrio, Jessica Matias and me to Hollywood. And certainly none of it would have been possible without the Keenan-Martine Endowment, funded by a gift from Leslie C. Quick III, ’75, former Board of Trustees chair, and his wife, Eileen. In reflecting on our experience, I decided to re-open the notebook I had kept during the trip. Upon doing so, I realized that several boxed words and phrases from my rather chaotic notetaking told the story of the week: “Less is more.” “Find your tribe.” “Humility.” “Collaborate.” What we had expected to be a conference focusing on the individual accomplishment of writers and musicians quickly showed its hand to be quite the opposite. By the end of the first day, Noelle, weeks away from Commencement, perhaps said it the best. “I really thought this was going to be more dog-eat-dog,” she said. “But, I’m pleasantly surprised. This is awesome.” We began our journey in the wee hours of May 1, departing by plane from Buffalo and flying to Chicago for a connecting flight to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank – a short 20-minute ride from our hotel. We spent much of that night exploring Hollywood and doing the essentials – making a stop at In-N-Out Burger, walking along the Hollywood Walk of Fame and checking out where the red carpet is laid for the Academy Awards. The conference kicked off the next morning, the whirlwind officially commencing with an address by ASCAP President Paul Williams – composer of the Academy Award-winning song “Evergreen,” famously performed by Barbra Streisand in “A Star is Born.” Williams encouraged the gathering of singers, songwriters, and producers to “write your truth, write your passion and write what you wish to see in the world.” From there, we were off to various masterclasses, networking events, information sessions, open mic opportunities and, most notably, critique sessions, during which Sabina had a soundtrack queue critiqued by “Walking Dead” composer Bear McCreary. After dinner and a little more exploration around the city, the majority of us reconvened for the center stage showcase. This popular first-night tradition featured award-winning writers and performers LeAnn Womack, Stephen Bishop, Jack Tempchin and Wyclef Jean, who engaged in a bit of dialogue, collaboration and, most of all, music, during a concert event that unplugged some of the greatest songs of the last 30 years. Their stories of creating music were each unique, but so similar in substance. The next morning brought a phenomenal session with some of the top vocal consultants in Hollywood, among them Buffalo native Edie Lehman Boddicker, who has had a lauded career as a vocal contractor with credits ranging from “The Carol Burnett Show” to 2019’s “The Lion King” remake. A conversation with the musical team behind the hit NBC television show “This Is Us” was followed by a quick lunch, and then it was back to the main ballroom for a conversation and presentation by Wyclef Jean, immediately followed by “The Roots” co-founder, Questlove, in conversation with Williams.
Capitol Records’ headquarters
But, while Questlove was surely the headliner and his conversation with Williams enlightening, it was Jean who stole the show during the first part of the evening program. Jean, a three-time Grammy award-winning rapper and producer, told audience members about a year-long project titled “Wyclef Goes Back to School,” released in March, and featuring young artists from around the country he had discovered during various visits to universities, colleges and high schools. He brought several of these artists with him – Jazzy Amra, Raquel, TJ Riley and Samantha Uzbey – who performed an improvised “vibe” session with Jean. But what happened next was unbelievable. Jean invited those in the audience who “wanted to catch a vibe with him and his friends” to come on stage with him. Seconds later, hundreds of young musicians out of the crowd of 2,000 rushed the stage. Now, at first glance, this seemed like a terrible, unsafe idea. ASCAP security probably thought so, too. But those who came on stage yielded the floor to their fellow musicians, waited patiently for their turn, and created some of the greatest art I ever bore witness to. I looked over at our group, seated in the third row. Tears streamed from nearly everyone’s eyes. It was in that moment that “less is more” was personified, that attendees had found their tribe while humbling themselves in order to collaborate. It was a moment none of us will ever forget. And, while the lessons we learned at this conference came from world-famous artists beneath the ASCAP banner, decked in the sunshine, bright lights, and colors of Hollywood, it dawned on me that they were not new. Rather, they were just reinforcements of the same lessons we had learned two thousand, five hundred and forty-seven miles to the east, taught to us by world-class professors, infused with the Franciscan spirit, within red brick buildings beneath our own banner at St. Bonaventure. Improbable? Maybe. Unforgettable? Absolutely.