Musicians share talents in Conference Room Concerts

Jordan Shanahan ‘26 | Chloe Islam ‘26

Dr. Locke’s new “Conference Room Concerts” provide a new, exciting opportunity for students to share their musical talents with the greater EA community. Donna Erwin, Assistant Head of School and the brainchild of this event, states the inspiration behind her new development. She describes, “Dr. Locke and I had seen some of the NPR Tiny Desk concerts and thought it would be a great way to celebrate our musicians. EA has so many talented musicians we wanted a space to showcase our students’ talents.” Every few months, students get together in Dr. Locke’s office to showcase their talents and perform in the style of these concerts, which are an online platform for professional artists to perform. Mrs. Erwin formulated the idea while searching for “a great way to celebrate our musicians.” 

Conference Room Concerts are a new and exciting way for students to have more performance opportunities, in which older and newer students can show off their talent and meet new people. Danity Pike ’27 comments, “I wanted to participate in the Conference Room Concerts because I love performing and there are many opportunities to do that here. It was also important for me to connect with the community, and I thought it would be cool to share what I’ve been writing and singing.” Pike appreciates the authenticity of performing this way, stating, “I think there’s an appeal to seeing an artist in a raw and genuine way, with no studio, autotune, electronics; not even a big stage,” she says. 

Additionally, Sarah Memmo ’24 expresses why she loves performing in Conference Room Concerts specifically. She states, “I always partake in the Open Mic Nights throughout the school year, but the Conference Room Concerts allow for a more intimate space to share music, especially with how many people we fit into such a small space to all support the singers performing that day.” She emphasizes how the Conference Room Concerts help to increase inclusivity at EA: “It allows for a larger part of the community – people who aren’t in music classes or who don’t attend Open Mic nights, to watch all the talented performers we have at EA or even sign up to share their talent with their teachers and peers.”

Pike also enjoys the comfortable environment for which Conference Room Concerts provide. She says, “I like how the Conference Room Concerts allow students to perform in front of their classmates in a more intimate space. It makes this exchange of music special. I also like it because it gives students a chance to perform that is convenient and somewhat low stakes—Chapel can be intimidating, Open Mic is late at night, and what else will you do during Domino?” Erwin also appreciates the intimacy of this performance style. He describes, “I love the sound of instruments and voices without any enhancements–very personal and endearing and human. It’s nice to be in such a small room where you are up close and personal with the student artists.” He also shares his hope that more students will be inspired by this opportunity, explaining, “I do hope that it inspires more students to take risks singing in the choir, playing in the orchestra and band, performing in chapel and open mic. I hope it encourages students to explore their musical abilities in an honest and straightforward manner.”