fall semester. Photo Courtesy of Anna Goldberg
On Sept. 24, the SUNY New Paltz Music Collective, or NPMC hosted their first open mic event of the 2025-26 school year. The event had a great turnout with several performers and listeners. The event was held in the Student Union Building basement. Passerbys watched from above and attendees had a front-row view.
Before the event started, some NPMC members arrived early to help set up. Towards the back of the room, the members set the stage for the performers.
Second-year marketing major Mary Baron Jacopo is the president of NPMC. As president of the collective, Jacopo discussed the set up time before the event, explaining that “it’s always so hectic during setup time, but once everyone gets settled … there’s just so much talent here.” Jacopo described how cool it was to see the hobbies people have picked up and what they decide to do with them when performing music.
One of the tables had a sign -up sheet for those wishing to perform, allowing individuals to decide if they wanted to come the day of the event. Many people gathered as they anticipated the upcoming show and waiting for the performers to start. There was no particular limit on the amount of songs that people could perform, it just depended on timing.
First to perform was first-year psychology major Parker Gross and first-year English major Michael Abrahms. Gross sang while Abrahms played guitar.
While performing in front of many people can be a very stressful experience, Gross and Abrahms shared advice for those who may be anxious to perform in front of people. “You just gotta go for it,” said Gross. Abrahms agreed, adding that he also takes deep breaths to help ease anxiety.
More musicians took the stage before the crowd, performing songs in genres from Broadway showtunes to indie. The audience seemed to love watching the many performers and cheered their friends on. Events like these provide a great opportunity for the club to shine and for the artists to promote themselves. Jacopo’s wish for the club’s future is for more recognition all around.
The open mic was a wonderful opportunity for students to connect through a mutual love of music. Jacopo said, “we are looking for collaborators, and we want to make events on campus even bigger than just this.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source oracle.newpaltz.edu ’
