With the goal of bringing the community together to celebrate art and music, Pepperdine’s Student Programming Board held the annual Pacific Sounds Music and Arts Festival. The PSMA concert featured student musicians and guest musicians, showcased a student art exhibition and hosted food trucks and activities for attendees March 23, at Alumni Park.
PSMA is one of the main Pepperdine traditions the Student Programming Board hosts. The student musicians and artists said they had long been looking forward to displaying their hard work at the PSMA event.
“I am very excited for both of our student performers,” said Julia Johnson, member of the Student Programming Board. “We brought that back this year — it’s not something that we’ve done specifically for this event in a few years — so I’m very happy that we get to enjoy the student artists.”
Press Play Septet
The concert opened with the student band Press Play Septet. The band includes junior Kiara Bromberg, singer and Pepperdine Graphic Media designer, senior drummer Thomas Lowe, senior guitarists Shaeffer Doyle and Garrett Podgorski, freshman saxophone player Amir Paridari, junior keyboard player Evan Herrera and sophomore bass player Jason Press.
Herrera started playing the keyboard when he was 6 years old, coaxed by his parents, he said. Herrera mostly taught himself jazz music.
“I met Thomas the drummer through the jazz band that’s officially through Pepperdine,” Herrera said. “And then, we just found other people. It grew to seven people, which is so great.”
Paridari started playing the saxophone when he was 9 or 10 years old, he said. The musician elaborated on the spontaneous nature of the band’s development.
“It was the most random recruitment,” Paridari said. “I was playing in the practice room, and then, Shaffer — the guitarist — just knocked on the door and was like, ‘Come play with us tonight.’ And we just played.”
After the Press Play Septet performed, speakers played upbeat music before the next live artist.
Students enjoyed the Korean Fusion Rice Balls of Fire, Cali Caribbean The Tropic Truck and Savage Tacos food trucks. Cornhole games and a friendship bracelet-making station entertained attendees as well as a lit-up Ferris wheel.
Beth Gonzales
Beginning her singing journey at 7 years old, senior Beth Gonzales, Life & Arts senior reporter for the Graphic, received a guitar for her 12th birthday and began writing songs while in junior high.
“Singing has just always given me peace and happiness,” Gonzales said. “It’s something that I love to do in my free time, but I also work in the music industry, so music is just kind of every part of my life.”
One original song that Gonzales performed included “Beauty and Brains.” She said she wrote the majority of the song during the Pepperdine International Program in London.
“The crowd was really engaging, which was so nice,” Gonzales said. “It was a long set for me, and I was really excited to be able to play five songs, including some originals. I’m so thankful for all the support of my friends and family. As a senior, it’s really special to have a last hurrah.”
Student Art Exhibit
Along with this musical showcase, tables at Alumni Park contained a QR Code leading to a digital student art exhibit. During each intermission after a musical artist, students could enjoy these sketches, photos, paintings and other art pieces.
Junior Spencer Williams took spontaneous photos of his best friend at Leo Carillo Beach in a collection titled “It’s Better From Up Here!, 2023.” He said this beach was also the location of one of his last walks with his dying dog and an overall representation of family, beauty and love for him.
“In the way the lifeguard tower shines a bright teal, the many memories I have at this beach shine bright in my mind,” Williams said about his photos. “Find your beach before you graduate — there are so many to choose from!”
Senior Elizabeth Astin said by watching enough sunrises, she noticed a consistent but fleeting moment before the sun appears where the whole sky turns pink. These brief seconds of beauty inspired her painting “Daybreak, 2024.”
“In my landscapes, I try to represent myself and my values,” Astin said. “Thank you to my family for inspiring me as an artist and to my sister Ali for teaching me to get up 20 minutes before sunrise to see the cotton candy sky.”
While students enjoyed the digital student art exhibit and the activities at Alumni Park, the concert continued. After the student musicians, guest musicians Jim and Sam and Nicole McLean performed.
Featured Guest Musicians
During their last song, Jim and Sam stepped off the stage and sang amid the audience, generating a personal and raw environment.
“Pepperdine is such a beautiful place to come to and play music in,” Sam said. “Tonight, it was kind of magical playing under the moon and looking out into the water. It was really special.”
McLean finished the concert, encouraging her audience to sing and dance along with her music under the stars. Students rose from their blankets on the grass to jump and move to McLean’s songs.
“Together with the students on the Student Programming Board, we got the opportunity to host an event that celebrates student art and music as well as bring in other musical talents,” Johnson said. “We got to enjoy both the view, the beautiful park here at Alumni and the talented art forms.”
___________________
Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic
Contact Madeline Del Rio via email: madeline.delrio@pepperdine.edu
