Newcomers join returning performers for solo, duet acts for Spring Sing 2011

The acoustic guitar and the piano are two staples of solo performance. Though the basic sounds of these instruments are always the same, a great solo performer can bring something entirely new to the instruments when he or she is alone on stage.

For this year’s Spring Sing, duos and solos will perform in the same group. Duo Arianna and Kabir consists of Arianna Afsar, a second-year ethnomusicology student, and Kabir Nigam, a second-year psychobiology student.

The duo formed last year expressly to perform at Spring Sing, with Afsar singing and Nigam accompanying her on acoustic guitar. Although Nigam has been influenced by reggae and Afsar prefers singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Celine Dion, the duo said that their differing musical tastes have helped them develop a standout sound through cooperation.

“I’m accompanying her, but in the same sense, she’s accompanying me. We definitely play off each other a lot,” Nigam said.

Acoustic guitar will be present on stage quite a bit at this year’s Spring Sing in the arms of several solo performers.

Solo performer Courtney Randall, a first-year psychobiology student, said she has been looking forward to performing in Spring Sing before even attending UCLA, having already bought and listened to last year’s Spring Sing album.

“I’m already obsessed with DJ Harper,” Randall said.

According to Randall, her style is influenced by the softer tone of Colbie Caillat and the country feel of Taylor Swift, and she is often inspired by people she knows when writing lyrics. For example, she wrote a song for Relay for Life inspired by her roommate, a cancer survivor.

She also said that she is simply enjoying the process of preparing for this performance and that even if music does not end up as her career, it will never leave her.

“If it (a career in music) is going to happen, it will. But no matter what, I know I’m going to be doing music in my life,” Randall said.

James Bunning, a fourth-year English student, shares a similar attitude toward music and performing. Bunning performed at Spring Sing two years ago with a band, No Chaser, that has since broken up. Since then, Bunning said, he has written a lot of songs and developed his music.

“I’m really a songwriter first and a musician second,” he said.

According to Bunning, many of his songs tell stories, not all of which are true. One song he wrote, for instance, tells the story of a man who discovers his girlfriend is cheating on him with a woman.

Bunning also said that performing solo allows him to interact more closely with the audience.

“I’m putting myself out there more. I want to make an intimate experience with the crowd,” he said.

Rounding out the trio of acoustic guitar solo performers is DJ Harper, third-year music composition student and winner of last year’s Spring Sing. Harper, who also appeared on last week’s episode of “Glee,” said he is looking to hone the more subtle aspects of his performance the second time playing at the event.

“This year, I’m trying to focus more on the overall performance aspect: facial expressions (and) getting emotionally into the song rather than just executing it,” he said.

According to Harper, whenever he writes a song, he draws on the recordings and musical ideas of his father, film composer Don Harper, who has worked on the scores for films such as “The Guardian” and “National Treasure.”

He said he looks forward to a more raw and honest performance with this year’s song.

“My song will give them more of a window into who I am as a writer,” Harper said.

Kevin Daye, a fourth-year philosophy student, will also be a solo performer this weekend. He could not be reached for an interview.

Also performing this year is Gabrielle Wortman, a fourth-year music media and management student. Wortman, who will be accompanied on stage by her drummer, Christopher Roberts, said her music mirrors her mixed musical schooling.

Since beginning to learn classical piano 15 years ago, Wortman learned to play jazz piano, blues guitar and accordion, as well as learning to sing gospel music. She said this has resulted in a sound that mixes both swampy rock and urban beats.

“It’s a synthesis of classical piano and soul and blues undertones. … It ends up being kind of a strange collection of alternative pop sounds,” she said.

Wortman also said her songwriting is inspired by her experiences traveling to different parts of the country and the world, including New Orleans, Europe and Asia.

“There’s really no such thing as a home. It’s your experiences, the memories you collect and who you were within those (memories and experiences),” Wortman said.