On Monday, Feb. 28, students were treated to a concert featuring faculty from the music department including Bo Eckard, Lynn Fleming, Rachel Andrews and Jon Seligman. However, the star of the show was an instrument typically reserved for the background: the bass.
“I do like low notes!” said Fleming, who played the acoustic/double bass for the event. Indeed, Fleming has gravitated towards the lower end of the scale since her childhood, starting with the tuba in the third grade.
Initially, the event was slated as a battle between the acoustic and electric bass, with fliers featuring the heading ‘Fight Night!’ However, before beginning the performance, Eckard assured the crowd that this was not the case, promising that “Nobody’s gonna throw a chair.”
Fleming explained that the event was lighthearted and served as a means of introducing her to the student population, this being her first year on the faculty. “Although the idea of a ‘Battle’ was dramatic, it was really all in fun.”
The evening’s music was chosen by Fleming and Eckard in an attempt to demonstrate the often overlooked capabilities of the bass as an instrument. Indeed, the musicians played an eclectic variety of music, including African, a piece from the American South and classical sonatas.
In addition to these selections, the concert was concluded with a piece written by Eckard himself, appropriately titled “Fight Night.”
In the end, McDaniel’s final “Monday Night Music” event of the semester proved to be a great success. Fleming hopes that they will continue. “I don’t make those decisions,” she said, “but I think it’s a wonderful venue.”
