The Beatles are a legendary rock group that have contributed to the success in the music industry. In March of 2019, students from Baldwin Wallace University will host their 9 annual “BW Beatles Festival” for the old lovers and the news lovers of the English rock band.
The Fest was created by a group of students at BW who sought inspiration from The Beatles and wanted to live out their music. With well received feedback on their performances every year, the inspiration of the students has carried on, making this year the second official festival, said Beth Hiser, professor of music theory and faculty advisor for the student ran organization.
“Every year the music is awesome, it’s really fun energy. For people who are already Beatles fans, they are going to love it, and if they don’t know The Beatles, it’s a great way to get introduced to their fantastic album,” said Hiser.
Every year there is a theme intertwined within the BW Fest which is determined by members in the band like, Brice Jackson and Jake Slate, co-music directors for the band and performers. This year’s theme will revolve around the album, “Abbey Road”.
“It’s not common to see a student ran group, in which they are responsible for the advertising, holding of auditions, ticket distribution, learning and performing the music, and for every other little piece, it’s very impressive to watch it all come together and see their work pay off,” said Hiser.
Though The Beatles stopped touring after 1966, this gave the BW band a chance to spark a little nostalgia in the older fans and give the new fans a chance to see as if they were living in the past, said Jackson.
“It’s cool to hear these albums be done in the entirety live, which I believe is especially special for a lot of older people in the Berea community who get the opportunity to recollect on their past memories,” said Slater.
The Beatles Fest will be strung out between a four-day period, starting on March 13 through the 16. On the first day, the concert will showcase the “Babies in Black” album performed by another group, which Beth Hiser herself will be a part of with a couple other students from BW.
On the second day, Walter T. Everett, professor of music theory from the University of Michigan is coming to speak about The Beatles and the “Abbey Road” album. The third day will consist of a preview show, which is an event mainly for students.
“The preview show is so the students can enjoy the concert in a more intimate setting. People will be standing up and singing along to the music, more like a concert,” said Jackson.
On the last day, the band will perform two concerts throughout the evening, which is open to the community and anyone interested.
The Fest is a relaxing time to sit down and surround yourself with the joy and variety of pop music that The Beatles fused in a construal way, said Slater.
“We share the music with the one’s that love and are willing to love the music as much as the members do and sometimes it only takes music to inspire and develop growth in others. I encourage people to come and listen. The Beatles were a band that weren’t afraid to do what they wanted to do, and when you have that confidence you can do that,” said Jackson.
The BW Beatles band has been selling free tickets since the beginning of February. In efforts to reach out to a wider community you can find more information about the Festival through the BW Beatles Facebook page or the BW site and flyers around campus.