Among those performing at the event were the 91短视频 Theatre Department, the 91短视频 Jazz Combo, Hot Mamas, Sun V Set, Sierra Lambert, Cerulean Valley, Ebro, and Thaddeus Jackson.

Thaddeus Jackson ’24 performs electric guitar at Friday’s Music on the Hill in the Discipleship Center.

Dr. Benjamin Guerrero, assistant professor of music at 91短视频, plays the melodica (left). Eastern Mennonite Seminary student Makinto performs jazz flute (right).

Student cast members from 91短视频 Theatre’s upcoming production of “The Winter’s Tale: A Musical Adaptation” perform songs from the spring musical. The play comes to the Lee Eshleman Studio Theater from April 9-12.

Bryan Joya-Estrada, who portrays the role of Shepherd and plays a mix of instruments in “The Winter’s Tale,” plays keytar (left). Emilee White and Kayden Beidler, who play Florizel and Perdita, respectively, in the musical, sing at Music on the Hill (right).

Faculty, staff, students, and other community members gather at the Discipleship Center to take in the music (left). Jadon Harley plays saxophone (right).

Music on the Hill was organized by Adam Wirdzek, of 91短视频 marketing and communications, in collaboration with Atma Khalsa, of Campus Activities Council. It was funded through a DEI Inclusive Excellence Grant, made possible by the generous support of Jose Koshy 鈥�76 and Jean Koshy-Hertzler 鈥�79, and the Campus Activities Council.

“This was meant to connect the 91短视频 music scene with the Harrisonburg and broader Virginia music scenes,” Wirdzek said. “It brought people together and put 91短视频 on the map even more as a place where people could come and gather in community.”

He said he’s always looking for opening acts, and plans to schedule a third Music on the Hill event in early October. Those interested in performing can contact Wirdzek at adam.wirdzek@emu.edu.

It might be the quietest spot on campus. 

91短视频鈥檚 new Astral Recording Studio, which opened this semester in the former Astral Hall building atop the 91短视频 Hill at 1304 Hillcrest Drive, has been precisely engineered with one goal in mind: providing the ultimate environment for recording and mixing audio. From its comprehensive acoustic treatment to its full suite of top-tier audio equipment, every square inch of the space is designed to help producers capture the sounds they want while eliminating the ones they don鈥檛.

For starters, take the physical structure of the building itself. The studio, featuring a 175-square-foot control room and two isolation rooms measuring 81 and 83 square feet, sits on its own concrete slab, separate from the rest of the building to minimize vibrations. Inside its walls, a 4-inch air gap makes the space practically soundproof from outside noise.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 noise or rattling, you end up spending too much time editing it out,鈥� Guerrero said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e aiming to replicate the professional studio environments of Los Angeles and New York City to better prepare our students for work in those settings.鈥�

Take a look inside the studio and it quickly becomes clear just how much thought went into creating the optimal environment. Acoustic panels on the walls and ceiling absorb the high and mid frequencies, while bass traps in the corners absorb the low ones. Thirteen speakers are positioned around the control room, all directed toward the center of the room, where a control surface allows producers to mix dozens of channels with precision.聽

The control room is calibrated for Dolby Atmos 7.1.4, one of the highest standards in music production, which means that it has seven ear-level speakers, one subwoofer, four overhead speakers, and an additional subwoofer for bass management. Together, they create a three-dimensional sphere of sound that envelops the space. The studio can produce 3D audio, sometimes known as 鈥渟patial audio,鈥� as well as binaural audio, delivering a more immersive listening experience than standard stereo.

鈥淣ot many studios near us have something like that,鈥� Guerrero said. And almost none of them are open to members of the public, who can rent the 91短视频 studio by the hour.

Astral Recording Studio is open to 91短视频 students, faculty, staff, and community members for recording and mixing music, videos, podcasts, or any other audio projects.聽
Learn more about the studio at .

Guerrero said students in his Introduction to Music Technology and Video Game Music and Culture classes this semester will use the space as a hands-on lab to collaborate on projects. The studio has already hosted a few successful recording sessions for local musicians, and reactions to the space have been overwhelmingly positive.

When he鈥檚 not playing with his jazz group around town, Thaddeus Jackson 鈥�24 can be found operating his own home recording studio. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of amazing that a university this small has a studio like this,鈥� he said, while he shredded on a guitar at a recent open house. The vocal performance and guitar grad helped Guerrero assemble much of the equipment in the 91短视频 studio this summer, along with John Evans of Master Craft Construction and his apprentice, Kortney Bostic.聽

The studio could also serve as a space for audio research projects, Guerrero said. That might include comparing different microphones or other technologies, or using the controlled environment to study how we perceive and process sound.

When he was hired on as faculty a little more than two years ago, Guerrero had two objectives: build a recording studio and eventually develop a music technology major at 91短视频. He said a number of music students over the years had expressed interest in recording their own music and exploring audio production, often mentioning the need for a studio. He credited an initial $95,000 donation from a generous couple, who have said they wish to remain anonymous, with kickstarting the project, as well as consistent support from 91短视频 administration and Music Program Director Dr. David Berry.

鈥淭he studio has been a dream in the making for many years now and it is wonderful to see it open its doors,鈥� Berry said.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing space with lots of capabilities,鈥� he added. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about all the possibilities it represents by giving access to more students, staff, and members of the community the ability to make music in new ways and explore their passions.鈥�

Guerrero said music technology programs, like the one he envisions creating at 91短视频 someday, have been shown to boost enrollment by appealing to students from nontraditional music backgrounds. 鈥淭hese are the students making beats at home or producing tracks, but who aren鈥檛 necessarily in marching band, orchestra, or choir,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we can bring them in and help them see a future not just at 91短视频, but in a music career, I think the potential is huge.鈥�

Now that the studio is finally open, Guerrero is excited to welcome people in. 鈥淟et鈥檚 collaborate,鈥� he said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 work on something together.鈥�

91短视频 the professor

Guerrero holds a PhD in music education from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.), a master鈥檚 in music technology from New York University, and a bachelor鈥檚 in drum set performance and contemporary writing and production from Berklee College of Music (Boston). While a college student, he worked at Apple stores in Boston and New York for three years, teaching workshops in GarageBand and Logic Pro. He previously taught at James Madison University and El Paso Community College in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.

He traces his interest in immersive audio back to the first time he watched Rush in Rio in 5.1 surround sound more than 20 years ago, and recalled attending an Audio Engineering Society conference at Dolby Labs in 2012, where he witnessed the first public performance of Dolby Atmos. 鈥淭he sense of immersion was incredible,鈥� he said.

91短视频 the space

Built in 1955, the terraced, one-room Astral Hall building next to the Vesper Heights Observatory hosted astronomy lectures and Astral Society meetings. Read more about the early days of the building here.

In the early 1970s, the building was renovated into a recording studio for WEMC, the 91短视频 student- and staff-run radio station that began broadcasting from Lehman Auditorium in 1954. Guerrero said the renovation set it up well for acoustic treatment, and some original features, including the windows and doors, remain in place today. 鈥淭here were a lot of things that were done right in the design of this space,鈥� he said.

Based on Disney鈥檚 beloved 1989 animated classic, the stage musical premiered on Broadway in 2008. Ariel, a young mermaid princess played by senior Afton Rhodes-Lehman, dreams of the world above the sea and falls in love with a human, Prince Eric 鈥� played by senior Thaddeus Jackson 鈥� much to the dismay of her father, King Triton. She makes a deal with Ursula, a half-octopus sea witch played by community member Holly Hanks Wanta, and gives up her voice in exchange for a chance to become human and win Prince Eric鈥檚 heart. But, she only has three days to find true love; if she fails in her quest, her soul will belong to Ursula.聽

“It’s been an exciting new world to dive into,” said Rhodes-Lehman, who grew up wearing Ariel-themed bracelets and sketching pictures of the Disney princess in her notebooks. “I feel like every kid grows up with that one movie idol and for me it was Ariel. Although, this version of Ariel is deeper and more fleshed-out than the one in the movies.”

The show is directed and produced by 91短视频 Theatre Program Director Justin Poole with music direction from 91短视频 faculty member Kyle Remnant and longtime collaborators Angie Clemens and Jim Clemens. It features a multigenerational cast and crew ranging in age from elementary through high school, as well as 91短视频 students, staff, alumni and community members. Rounding out the artistic staff are 91短视频 student Thomas Erickson (light operator), 91短视频 faculty/staff members Shannon Dove (tech director) and Rachel Herrick (costume designer), 91短视频 alums Jareya Harder ’22 (stage manager) and Robert Weaver ’18 (lighting designer), guest sound technician Tom Carr and resident choreographer Ellie de Waal.

The show features crowd-pleasing hits such as “Under the Sea,” “Part of Your World” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and a number of new songs only found in the musical.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an immersive experience with a Broadway score that has a gravitas and beauty that surpasses what you find in both film adaptations,” said Poole, adding that there is plenty of interaction between the audience and cast. 鈥淚t truly feels like a big Broadway production in terms of the musical and dance numbers.鈥�

A painted backdrop behind the stage allows for cutouts and puppets to add another dimension to the story. The show opens with a group of children in front of the backdrop playing out scenes from “The Little Mermaid” with character puppets. As the overture music swells, the play comes to life on a stage that is transformed into an underwater world featuring sea creatures and three-fourths of the set made from recycled materials and found objects.

A treasure chest doubles as a sailing ship gliding across the stage on wheels. An assortment of umbrellas, rakes and beach balls piece together to form a giant fish during a rendition of “Under the Sea.” When Ariel is saving Prince Eric from his shipwreck, an enormous piece of white fabric combined with strobe lights faithfully recreates the effects of a thunderstorm at sea.

鈥淲e鈥檙e putting on a massive, elaborate spectacle on a shoestring budget,鈥� said Poole. “That鈥檚 the magic of it.鈥�

The musical is geared toward all ages, with singing along from the audience encouraged.

Tickets are $6-$10 for students and children and $18-$20 for adults and seniors. For tickets, visit /theatre/program/calendar.