The upcoming Baldwin Wallace Beatles Cabaret concert will mark a major milestone in the band’s nine-year history.

On Oct. 26 at 10:30 p.m., the BW Beatles will launch their first performance of the 2018-19 school year in Fynette Kulas Hall in the Boesel Musical Arts Center.

The BW Beatles are a student-run band honoring the former English rock group, the Beatles. Every Spring Semester, the student band celebrates the Beatles with a full performance of one of their albums. However, according to senior music theory major and Music Director for the BW Beatles, Brice Jackson, this fall performance is something brought back by student request and is only the second time the band has added an additional concert to their annual spring performance.

“Our freshman year,” said Jackson, “we did the Rubber Soul concert in the fall and a lot of students seemed to enjoy that, so we figured we would try another fall concert, but this time have a little bit more inclusion in regard to the student body.”

While the Spring Semester festival only features student performances from the BW Beatles, said Jackson, this fall performance will include opening cabaret numbers by student performers before the band takes the stage.

In addition to encouraging more involvement from BW’s student body, the BW Beatles are also introducing their first female member and their first black member simultaneously this semester.

“We wanted to switch things up,” said Eric Hanson, junior music theory and arts management & entrepreneurship double major and producer for the BW Beatles. “It just so happened that we got a very talented female singer and a very talented black singer this year.”

Both Jackson and Hanson expressed that the lack of diversity in the group was not an intentional move by the band, but rather a lack of marketing to students.

“It was always the case that anybody at BW could audition,” said Jackson. “It just wasn’t publicized. It created a stigma that women couldn’t be in it and people of color couldn’t be in it. We wanted to make it known that that wasn’t the case.”

The BW Beatles will officially welcome three new members on the Oct. 26 concert comprised of Joshua Arkangel, sophomore music composition major, David Holbert, senior music theater major, and Claire Soulier, sophomore music theater major.

This past August, all auditionees were required to perform a minute-long selection from a Beatles song with either accompaniment from the band’s own pianist or self-accompaniment by the student. Jackson said that availability and collaborative skills were among the most sought-after attributes in a candidate.

According to Jackson, normally the band rehearses once a week as a full ensemble in addition to sectionals for vocalists and instrumentalists leading up to the spring festival.

“I’m excited to get the ball rolling this year,” said Hanson. “It’s going to be a big year…and I think we have a good group of people to pull it off.”

Tickets for the concert will be sold at the door for $3.00 and can be purchased with cash or credit.