The first time Aaron Liebman took the stage for the SU Songwriter Showcase, he introduced himself to the audience with a fake name.

“It was a really great experience, but terrifying. Absolutely terrifying,” Liebman said. “But, you know, that’s why we do it, for the nerves, for the adrenaline. That’s why I get up there on the stage.”

This Friday, when the junior television, radio and film major performs in the seventh annual showcase with his band for the second time, he’ll be using his real name.

Liebman’s band, Lewis and Clark, will be one of 12 acts performing in the annual SU Songwriter Showcase on Friday at 8 p.m. The showcase will feature original songs written by both individual students and student bands. The performance, which is free, will be held in the Panasci Lounge in the Schine Student Center.

The showcase is planned by a class of students in the Renée Crown University Honors Program. The class, HNR340: Inside the Words and Music, is a discussion-based seminar that meets twice a week, said Emma Lohrs, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and student in the class.

The students in the class have been preparing for the showcase since the middle of October, largely outside of class, Lohrs said.

Student performers and bands competed to be a part of the showcase by submitting recordings of their original music. Students in the class were responsible for choosing the 12 final acts out of around 25 submissions, Lohrs said. The 12 acts will each be able to perform two original songs of their choice at the showcase.

Numerous performers from this year’s showcase have been in the showcase in previous years. Alex Ganes, a senior music composition major, will perform in the showcase for the third time.

Ganes said he has been preparing for the performance for a little over a week. He prepares when there is an open practice room and he has spare time. For the showcase, Ganes will be singing and playing the piano. This will also be the first time he will be singing without the other members of his band, Shiffley.

“I’m going to definitely be more relaxed, more conversational, by having just the piano and me. It’ll be more personal I think,” Ganes said.

He has continued to perform in the showcase each year because it’s one of the few opportunities songwriters have to perform on campus, he said.

Maria Bufalini, a sophomore musical theater major, will be performing in the showcase for the second time.

For Bufalini, the showcase will be a chance to stray from her usual genre of music.
Because of her major, Bufalini largely does theater performances. But at the showcase, she will sing and play the piano in contemporary and pop styles.

“It’s exciting to be able to do something that is contemporary and pop— which I don’t usually do a lot — for my family and friends,” Bufalini said.

Other performers, like Olivia Klayman, will be a part of the showcase for the first time. Klayman, a sophomore dual Spanish and television, radio and film major, has been singing since she was little. She will be singing and playing the ukulele.

Though Klayman had seen fliers for the event up in Schine in past years, she never paid much attention to it until she received an email about the showcase this year. After learning more about the showcase, she knew she wanted to apply.

“I’m stage shy, so it’s been nerve-wracking getting ready, but kind of exciting too. I used to do open mic nights at coffee shops back home and I wrote a song for my high school graduation,” Klayman said. “But every time it’s like the first time.”

Published on December 4, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Mara: mgcorbet@syr.edu