Simple illustration of musical notes. The illustration appears within an irregular white shape on an orange background and is encircled by an irregular line that is a lighter shade of the same orange.

Rocking out in the Library

Simple illustration of an arm and hand waving. The illustration appears within an irregular white shape on a light blue background, and is encircled by an irregular line that is a lighter shade of the same blue.
Simple illustration of musical notes. The illustration appears within an irregular white shape on an orange background and is encircled by an irregular line that is a lighter shade of the same orange.

Rocking out in the Library

Libraries are usually known for their quiet atmosphere, but we like to shake things up from time to time. Two initiatives brought musicians into Library spaces for vibrant performances and discussions over the past academic year. 

Making Noise in the Library

With support from a UVA Arts Council grant, Librarian for Music & Performing Arts Amy Hunsaker continued running the “Making Noise in the Library” series — five free concerts held in different Library locations across Grounds. 

Four musicians perform in a public space, including one on electric guitar, one on trumpet, one on saxophone, and another on keyboard, focused on their sheet music.

Two of the performances featured Library staff members. In September, Educational Technologies Librarian Jason Evans Groth joined local musician Pete Schreiner to kick off the series in the Music Library. The two have been playing music and touring extensively together since 2001 in the band Magnolia Electric Co. In March, Brandon Walsh, Head of Student Programs in the Scholars’ Lab, performed with his jazz band, the Hard Modes (shown above, Brandon is on trumpet), in the Robertson Media Center. “The band is formed of folks with a range of UVA affiliations — alumni, employees, faculty, family members,” Walsh said. “And many of us are alumni of the music program here! The band itself plays original jazz arrangements of video game music. …It’s been a great way to connect different parts of our lives.”

A band performs live inside a room labeled "G-Lab," featuring a keyboard player on the left, a bass guitarist in the center, and a guitarist on the right. A drummer in the background is partially obscured by the bass guitarist.

Other artists in the “Making Noise” performance series included American blues and reggae musician Corey Harris, UVA student-created band Swamp Street (above), and Nathaniel Star, a local musician and rap artist.

Inclusive Soundscapes

In the fall of 2024, Evans Groth and fellow librarians Haley Gillilan and Josh Thorud worked with University Records (a UVA student club that helps musicians find opportunities to perform and record their music) on an exhibition and a live show in Clemons. 

“We were struck by the spirit of community and inclusivity that the women who were largely responsible for helping with both the exhibit and the show brought to both things,” said Evans Groth. “We want everyone to feel welcome to make media here.”

 

Seven individuals seated on stage participating in a panel discussion titled "Inclusive Soundscapes" at a live library event. Three large screens in the background display the event name.

The three librarians, along with Events and Venue Manager Debra Guy, worked together to secure a UVA Library Culture, Engagement, and Community grant to create “Inclusive Soundscapes,” a program series encouraging women and non-binary musicians to express themselves and to build solidarity in the UVA/Charlottesville music scene. The series, which ran during the spring semester, included panel discussions on women, non-binary, and queer perspectives in music spaces; the UVA undergraduate music scene (shown above); and advocacy for marginalized artists with the Grimalkin Records Collective, as well as a live performance by Merge Records artist Rosali (shown below).

Musician performing live in a room with purple lighting, playing an acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone.

“Listening to musicians from the community who were not necessarily involved with UVA tell their individual stories about finding their way into music and deciding that they, too, were both welcome and important to the community was inspiring,” Evans Groth said. “Then hearing similar stories from current students who are also musicians and also at least one generation removed from the first events’ speakers helped to reinforce the power of community, and how marginalized individuals have taken the power of music and media in their hands to create a vibrant and supportive space to encourage creativity and really build one another up.”

Sara Bastianelli, a fourth-year student and Vice President of University Records, spoke on the undergraduate student panel in March. “Being heavily involved in the UVA student DIY music scene, I’d gotten to know all the other women on the panel, but, through this event, I was able to learn more about their reasons for creating and performing,” she said. “It was inspiring to hear about the ways women musicians support each other within the student music community.

“It’s exciting how involved UVA Library is within student arts spaces,” Bastianelli added. “It is really important for respected, institutionalized spaces, such as UVA Library, to promote the value of student-created music and art.”

While the Inclusive Soundscapes series has come to an end, Evans Groth said that he and his fellow librarians hope to keep programming concerts, panels, and workshops in the Robertson Media Center. “We are so grateful to the CEC grant committee for helping us make this impactful series a reality,” he said.

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