The library’s Noon Concert Series will continue next month on Nov. 6 at the same place and same time.
The library is a place of peace, solitude and silence.
But today at noon, any student who wanders into Edmon Low Library will be in for a surprise.
They will find that there is a concert going on inside, an idea that would seem too absurd to your average librarian.
But in 2005, a group of OSU librarians at the Edmon Low Library decided to begin a concert series.
They wanted to provide a way to present a cultural experience to students in the library and decided music would be a great way to accomplish that.
Since then, the OSU library and music department have worked together to put on multiple concerts every semester in the Peggy V. Helmerich Browsing Room inside of Edmon Low Library.
The event has become quite popular, on average drawing 75 to 85 people to watch the show.
In the past four years, the library has hosted musical acts that range from jazz bands to opera, but all performers are always OSU students.
Today’s performance will feature multiple woodwind ensembles.
The concerts provide multiple benefits for both the library and the music department.
Bonnie Cain, library senior communications specialist, helps coordinate the concert series.
“We are always looking for ways to collaborate with the different departments at OSU, and this was a great way to work with the music department,” Cain said. “We were hoping to provide cultural programming and we thought this was a great way to bring a new type of culture into the library.”
Lanette Compton, co-director for the concert series, said the program is a great collaboration because the students enjoy having the venue and the library enjoys having the group there.
“We can also advertise future events for the music department and the library, so it’s just a great idea,” said Compton, a music department professor.
One of the most important benefits of the concerts is that it gives music students a chance to play in a lower pressure environment.
“Students get to rehearse all the time, but when they perform other things come up, like getting nervous,” Compton said. “But at the library, things are really relaxed. People aren’t judging them. They’re just enjoying it.”
Sophomore John Fifield is one of those students who will be performing today.
“To play in the library is a nice change of venue,” Fifield said. “It’s a lot more intimate than playing in a concert hall, and it’s always great to get to perform.”
Students who prefer peace and quiet while studying do not need to worry about being interrupted either.
Cain said the library has plenty of space to go elsewhere if the music is a distraction.
The event is free.
Enjoying lunch during the concert is recommended.
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