The Margaret Fowler Garden at Scripps College lit up with a mix of candlelight and acoustic music for the Music by Moonlight Concert last Sunday. Students relaxed with soft tunes from campus musicians and lounged about the garden on blankets under the full moon.
The lack of amplification and electricity not only created an intimate environment, but also made a point about energy conservation. The concert was hosted by Energy Service Corps (ESC) as their debut event at the Claremont Colleges.
“Energy Service Corps is a joint program between CALPIRG and AmeriCorps that works to promote energy conservation in the 5Cs and the Claremont community,” ESC intern Hannah Swan SC ’15 said. “We do this through campus events, dorm energy surveys, going out into the community and helping people weatherize their homes and teaching K-12 classes in the Claremont area.”
Between musical acts, members of the ESC made announcements about their upcoming events and goals to aid the Claremont community in the upcoming year.
“The goal of Music by Moonlight was to promote energy conservation by being an almost energy-free concert as well as through distribution of energy surveys and pledges,” Swan said. “Our second goal was to raise awareness about ESC on campus.”
Performance highlights included a flutist who performed a sing-along rendition of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin and a five-song set of original songs from Olivia Buntaine SC ’15.
ESC intern Jonathan Williams PZ ’14 also performed a three-song encore, and two performers from California State University, Los Angeles. traveled to Claremont just for the event. Lysander Valenzuela, one half of the Cal State LA performance duo, said, “My best friend goes to Scripps and told me I had to come to perform. I absolutely love this atmosphere and the intimate setting of the performances here.”
ESC has plans to get more involved on the 5Cs throughout the year.
“We have big plans for the rest of the year, including at least two energy-related documentary screenings and discussions this semester, an arts and crafts day, and a huge push for more dorm energy surveys,” Swan said. “I was very pleased with this event. The setup in the Margaret Fowler Garden was beautiful and I thought all the performers did a wonderful job.”
“The whole thing was beautiful,” attendee Melissa Krassenstein SC ’16 said. “I’ve always liked escaping to the Margaret Fowler garden but never really had the chance to see it at night. The candles and the soft music created the perfect ambiance for an hour of escape from homework and studying.”