First-ever Pitt Arts Arts Festival features live performance

Gaurav Gupta-Casale has been active in volunteering at free Pitt Arts events since his sophomore year. Now in his senior year, Gupta-Casale reflected on the performances he has seen through the program during his time at Pitt.

“It’s hard to drop that kind of money after you graduate,” Gupta-Casale said. 

Gupta-Casale, who studies politics, philosophy and sociology, was one student who helped host the first-ever Pitt Arts Arts Festival, which took place from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the William Pitt Union on Friday. An estimated 1,000 students attended the event.

Outside the Union, students who were walking to and from classes Friday morning heard the sweet rings of gamelan, or traditional Indonesian music, resonating from the William Pitt Union patio.

The instruments played by the Pitt Gamelan Ensemble, a set metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs, caught many students’ eyes with intricate designs and Pitt Panthers embellished in gold.

Annabelle Clippinger, director of Pitt Arts, noted that while the program has held art fairs in the past, the department expanded its traditional tabling approach this year to create a festival experience including performances and hands-on activities for students, all free of charge. 

While performers including Pitt’s Gamelan Ensemble, Cello Fury, Boilermaker Jazz Band and Pitt Men’s Glee Club took the stage outside, students also had the opportunity to visit the Union’s Lower Lounge for a free lunch of sandwiches and snacks. While mingling over food, students had the opportunity to meet representatives from Pitt’s Cheap Seats and Free Museum Visits partners.

Clippinger said that these partners, which are based in the Cultural District, attended the event to reach a younger audience and to answer student questions about ticket availability to events such as the ballet, symphony and opera. 

Museums such as the Mattress Factory and the Andy Warhol Museum offered activities for students, including magnet and button making. 

In addition to the activities in the Lower Lounge, the Kimbo Art Gallery in the Union featured about 20 photographs taken by members of the Pitt Photography Club. 

On the lawn, students celebrated the day by posing for photos in a photobooth. Others relaxed in the grass while enjoying the performances throughout the day.

Clippinger said that it is important for Pitt students to take advantage of opportunities to hear music groups on campus. 

“Running Pitt Arts for so long, I feel it is important to be exposed [to the Arts], because it makes you a better and more complete person. It expands what you know,” she said. 

Clippinger continued to emphasize how fortunate Pitt students were to hear the music from the featured performers. 

Gamelan ensembles, she said, are very rare in American universities, though they are very common in their native Indonesia. 

“It’s really rare. It’s astonishing we have it,” Clippinger said. 

Cello Fury, a group of cellists that tours different cities, was also popular with students. The group, composed of three classically trained cellists, transformed the traditional sounds of the instrument into a rock rendition. 

“A lot of people like cellos, but are surprised by what the group is doing with them,” Clippinger said. 

Megan Ballantyne, a sophomore majoring in communication sciences and disorders, said that she enjoyed listening to the group between classes. 

“I didn’t know what to expect, but they were really impressive,” she said. 

Clippinger said that both the Boilermaker Jazz Band, another professional group, and the Pitt Men’s Glee Club performed with great amounts of energy. 

“It’s a fun kind of music that makes you feel really good,” she said of the Glee Club’s performance. 

Although Gupta-Casale said that he is not musically talented, he said that the performances he has been to as a result of his involvement with Pitt Arts have left deep impressions on him. He encouraged other students to take advantage of them.

“It’s going to broaden their cultural dimension and give them a chance to connect with the city and the art community,” he said.