Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music may not be open to students at the moment, but school officials are making sure both students and the public have access to the music created by those who’ve passed through its halls.
On Friday nights the past few weeks — Good Friday being the obvious exception at a Catholic university — the music school’s YouTube channel has broadcast previously recorded performances by Duquesne alumni and faculty.
After the rush of work to let people know about canceled events, “I started looking for ways to still bring music to the public,” said Steve Groves, the school’s director of music engagement, events and marketing. “We’re going to run it for another four weeks including this Friday.”
This Friday’s livestream, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will include performances by the university’s Voices of Spirit, Pappert Chorale and University Singers choirs, recorded in 2016 and 2017.
And while the series is pre-recorded, Groves said music school administrators are also trying to keep current students involved.
“We also have an internal way for students to get together and perform for each other,” Groves said. “We have a weekly ‘performance hour’ on Zoom, hosted by one of our technology professors, who spends time collecting either pre-recorded performances or livestreaming student performances. He sends that link out to students, who can tune in.”
The final livestream will be broadcast May 8, which would have been the music school’s graduation date.
Groves said he is still working on the content for that broadcast.
“The problem is just getting access to our archives, which are all on campus,” he said. To view the stream, see YouTube.com and search “Mary Pappert” to find the school’s channel.
Below, watch the first livestream, a performance of Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals” from January 2020.
