MOORHEAD — Nearly 100 people filled the cozy Moorhead coffee bar Twenty Below on the night of Oct. 6.
Baristas, musicians and patrons sat on overcrowded sofas, bunched together at multiple wooden tables and stood shoulder to shoulder. Occasionally, jazzy guitar chords and a steady drum cadence carried through the air as the instrumental accompanists warmed up.
Vocalists hummed their notes and nervously chatted with friends, family and fellow singers. They were preparing for the third annual Solo Night, a choral event put on by Concordia’s vocal jazz ensembles.
A little after 7:30 p.m., Rachel Lanning, media and operations manager for the vocal jazz ensembles, stood in front of the overcrowded room and thanked everyone for coming.
“We’ve got freshmen, sophomores, all the classes, and this will be their first time singing solo,” Lanning said.
In total, 22 students performed, with each singing a jazz piece, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Astru Gilberto to Laufey. Each singer was accompanied by piano player, Andrew Steinberg. A majority of the performers were first year students.
Some singers added a bit of spice to their performances. Megan Gunnerson, a second-year student, was a crowd favorite, bringing dramatic facial expressions and movements to her rendition of “Angel Eyes” by Matt Dennis and Earl Brent.
“I feel like a different character when I’m up there. It’s so much fun,” Gunnerson said. “I love it.”
Sophomore, Ty Monroe donned a pair of shades and channeled his inner Kenny G with a saxophone solo during his vocal performance of Nat King Cole’s “Misty.”
“I was scared about missing my cue, and then it happened!” Monroe said. “I got back into it, so I was totally okay with what happened.”
Audiences loved the performances that had extra twists and emotion behind them. Attendees were swaying in their seats, bobbing their heads to the beat, stomping their feet, and cheering for their favorites.
“(I loved) any of the multi talented performers, Kate and Ty, who both sang and played an instrument as well, which absolutely blows my mind,” fifth-year, Mya Lysne said. “Every single time I see somebody switch back and forth between instruments and a performance it absolutely rocks my socks off.”
The audience was incredibly supportive for each singer, “Nobody did bad,” first-year student Falisha Dale said. “Everybody did good or at least okay.”
The turnout for the event exceeded expectations, with Twenty Below reaching maximum capacity. The staff had to lock the doors to keep people from coming inside.
“The turnout was fantastic,” Gunnerson said. “To have it packed to max capacity… I knew it was gonna be good, but I didn’t know it was gonna be this good.”
The event proved to be quite successful, as well as a way to get these singers’ voices heard.
“I’m so, so pumped about this whole thing. I would do it every day if I could,” Gunnerson said. “The jazz community is so fantastic. It’s growing at Concordia and I love it.”
