Under a massive skeleton of a whale, there was love in the air as performers like the Ithaca College Jazz Vocal Ensemble sang to a crowd of nearly 100 supporters of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, an orchestra known for its guest performers, Feb. 14 at the Museum of the Earth.
Upon entering the Museum of the Earth, guests were greeted with a warm welcome by numerous board members of the CCO. The main attractions of the event were the hors d’oeuvres by Serendipity Catering, raffles for over three dozen gift baskets and a scavenger hunt across the entire museum.
After some time was given for guests to mingle and explore the Museum of the Earth, everyone was ushered to their tables and enjoyed nearly two hours of musical performances by John White, Steven Stull and the ICJVE. They performed a mixup of genres to celebrate the spectrum of what love can be.
Two attendees, husband and wife Greg and Katie Conard, had their first “Songs of Love” experience that night.
“The [Cayuga Chamber] Orchestra itself has just always been so good,” Greg Conard said. “We’re big music people, so any kind of live music we’re just drawn to. They’re incredible.”
This is the second time the “Songs of Love” event has been held by the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, with its first rendition in 2023 at the LakeWatch Inn. This marks the fourth time guest performers Stull and White have performed a fundraiser for the CCO.
The event this year was more successful compared to the last “Songs of Love” concert, with 40 more guests than last year’s 60.
Sarah Chandler, executive director of the CCO, said the event introduced a balance between new and returning orchestra supporters.
“I know there are people here tonight that have never been to a concert,” Chandler said. “I’m just happy that they came tonight and they supported us … and people that come to a concert for the first time, I think they’re really, really moved, and they want to come back.”
White, jazz pianist and associate professor in the Department of Music Theory, History and Composition, has been the director of the ICJVE since 2016. He also has performed in the local music scene for 20 years.
White said the local music scene is dense and vast and this event is a chance to bring the diverse communities of music together.
“Each music community is like a tapestry,” White said. “If you involve three or four people who are a part of numerous music communities, you’ve engaged all of these tapestries and you knit all of those together. It’s really fascinating.”
Stull, a soloist performer who has been performing with the CCO since 1997, was the lead vocalist of the event. He is involved in their Masterworks and Holiday concerts, in addition to performing for his own not-for-profit, Triphammer Arts.
“It’s also a chance for people who haven’t been as familiar with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra to come in and say, ‘What does this organization do? What’s the calibre of this organization?’” Stull said.
Stull sang with booming but tender vocals, playing along with White’s soft, jazzy piano before the ICJVE dominated the room. The museum echoed with many voices, leading to a finale where both performer and attendees joined in to sing an alternate version of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” called “Sweet Valentine.”
Lisa Williamson, assistant professor in the Department of Music Performance, said she was excited to be a part of the event.
“It’s lovely,” Williamson said. “This has been our entryway into ‘Songs of Love’ and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. I’m looking forward to getting to know the orchestra more. That was part of why I wanted to come.”
Khyle Wooten, assistant professor in the Department of Music Performance and director of choral activities at IC, said the event was a way to connect with Ithaca’s musical audience.
“As teachers, we’re always thinking about how to connect to the community,” Wooten said. “To get a larger sense of plugging into regular admissions, becoming familiar with organizations and sharing our art with them. I think that this is a really great way to do it.”
White said this is a chance for the ICJVE to perform in a professional venue that would not otherwise be chosen for their semesterly performance at IC. The ICJVE previously played at the Nismara, a festival in Rochester and many other locations locally. Chandler said the previously used venue, the LakeWatch Inn, was under heavy flooding damage so the organization had to quickly find a different venue. She said the museum allowed the CCO to use its space.
Sophomore Jasmine Foster was a performer for the ICJVE and said she loved the venue.
“We do gigs sometimes,” Foster said. “I think [the museum’s] really cool because we were able to look around the museum and get a sense of where we were performing.”
The stage was filled with instruments of all sorts, and enough room to fit nearly thirty performers. There was little space between the performers and the audience, creating a feeling of intimacy.
Stull discussed “Songs of Love” as a glance into the care that the local community has for organizations such as the CCO.
“I think everyone who’s involved in this event in one way or another is coming to this event because it’s the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra,” Stull said. “It’s way more about the community coming together to make this event happen. And I think that’s pretty special, because it doesn’t always happen.”
