Deep Treble pays homage to graduating seniors at annual Spring Concert
Co-ed a capella group Deep Treble held its annual spring concert in Van Dyck Hall to end the school year and celebrate their graduating members last Friday at 8 p.m.
The event was open to students and the public, and about 75 people were in attendance.
Founded in 1998, the student-run group has released five albums, including their recent 2016 album entitled, "41 Jones: The Basement Sessions."
The event was hosted by Erica Lazarow, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, and Marquis Reece, a School of Arts and Sciences senior.
There were 15 student performers in total — the concert lasted for about two hours, opening with a performance of Florence + the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.”
This spring concert featured an eclectic mix of compositions of new and classic songs from across multiple genres — from Hall and Oates’ “Rich Girl” to “Sweater Weather” from the artist The Neighbourhood. It also included hits from Beyoncé, The Jackson Five and Chance the Rapper, among many other artists.
“All of our awesome arrangements are written by members of the group,” said Mason Satnick, a first-year student in the School of Arts and Sciences.
He said the concert was his first time beatboxing in a performance.
Claire Towell, a Rutgers Business School sophomore and performing member of Deep Treble, explained that the song choices are reflective of the different tastes within the group. During the process of selecting songs for each concert, each member suggests two songs, she said, and everyone votes.
Each of the roughly 15 songs of the concert featured one soloist, who sang the lyrics, while everyone else performed the a capella background.
“For solos, anyone can audition for a song. Then the auditions leave, and the rest of the group has a discussion followed by a blind vote. That way we know that everything is fair, and no one’s feelings get hurt in the process,” she said.
Lazarow said traditionally, at each concert, the group does a tribute to the seniors.
The group showed a video celebrating graduating senior member Reece, as well as School of Arts and Sciences junior Bria Romano, who is also leaving after the semester.
Towell was the group member responsible for recording and editing all the videos shown during the concert.
“We use the spring concert as a sort of send-off for the seniors,” she said.
The video featured all the members of Deep Treble, allowing them to talk about any memories, and to send a message to Reece and Romano, who were also given a chance to speak about their experiences in the video.
In the recording, Romano said, “(Deep Treble) has been amazing over the <g>past three</g> years. (Deep Treble) gave me a chance to start over.”
Romano did not enjoy her high school experience, she said.
“So coming to Rutgers, I knew I had to start over, but in order to do that I had to find my niche, and that’s why I tried out for Deep <g>Treble," Romano said.</g>
She said that being in the organization allowed her to learn and grow in many aspects beyond music.
Reece also spoke of his positive experience in the organization.
“(Deep Treble) has been my support system, my place to destress and enjoy making beautiful music,” he said in the video.
After the final student performance, “What You Don’t Do” by Lianne La Havas, the group welcomed Deep Treble alumni in the audience to come onto the stage for a performance of Jason Mraz’s “The Remedy (I Won't Worry),” where several alumni sang the solo parts.
Written in chalk on the blackboard of the lecture hall-turned-stage where the concert took place was the phrase "Run Deep," a saying with special meaning for members of Deep Treble.
“It's always just been our slogan. We always say that our love for each other and our love for music runs deep. It runs deep in our veins like an ocean,” Towell said. “Before every concert, we put our hands in (together) and say ‘Run Deep’ on three. It's basically just a phrase of power, confidence and love."
Christina Gaudino is a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student majoring in public policy. She is a staff writer for The Daily Targum.
