PRISM 2025 Shines Light on the Dare to Change
This year, directors of the Setnor School of Music Concert went against the grain in new decisions to do what they believed would enhance the long-standing tradition.
Words by: Nehilah Grand-Pierre / Photo Courtesy of SU PRISM Concert Series / Graphic by: Michael Loya
Standing at the top of the hill on the Syracuse University campus sits Crouse Hall, or what many students on campus call the Hogwarts building. Unchanged, unrenovated, and untouched for decades, it stands as a symbol of tradition and a mark of stability. It also houses the Setnor School of Music.
The SU PRISM concert series is one way Setnor’s students get to display their talents. It’s always been held in Crouse, but this year’s directors challenged that.
“Crouse College feels a little secluded. It only houses the Setnor School of Music. There’s no other majors in there, so nobody knows about that space,” said Ania Kapllani ‘25, co-head of marketing for PRISM. “It's hard to make people go to a space that they don’t even know about, versus Schine Underground, that has so many other shows. Everybody knows about Schine.”
Typically, performers would set up all around the Crouse auditorium, utilizing the balcony and main stage. A spotlight would indicate where the audience should turn their attention next, which may be behind or next to the previous performance. This bouncing light-directed show is how PRISM got its name.
Though the team was a fan of the concept, they felt limited by the auditorium and the type of music it was mainly designed to host, which was classical. This also influenced their decision to scrap the typical protocol of holding auditions. Instead, the team reached out to artists who they felt fit their vision.
“We had everything set up in advance so we could have room to be creative,” said Lizzie Khan ‘25, the show’s co-producer.
With more control over the performers and venue, the team also saw a change in audience.
“Normally, it's just artists who are in the audience, and now it's not just them. It’s all of our friends and people [from] Instagram. It was really cool to see,” Khan added.
When it came to Instagram management and marketing in general, Maya Pérez ‘27, co-head of marketing, got to experiment with her responsibilities given the changes.
“It makes marketing more exciting to do,” Pérez explained, as she got to market it more like a DIY show and less like a sterile, school-sanctioned event. Still, this did not come without difficulties.
“I think it's difficult because the school is just so established. It’s different changing things there. Even renovations – like other schools are constantly changing – and we’re literally never,” Pérez added.
“We wanted to help Setnor be more involved with the campus. With music having such an effect on people’s lives, we should be more involved with what’s happening in the campus community and not secluded,” added Joshua Garvin ‘25, co-producer at PRISM.
As the semester winds down, Garvin, a graduating senior, reflects on what it meant to go against the grain.
“For years before, we kept talking about how we wanted to change it. It always takes one group of people to show that something new can happen,” said Garvin.
Also graduating, co-head of marketing Kapllani is thankful for the legacy her team brought to PRISM.
“No one pushed us to try to rebrand it. That kind of leadership makes all the other phases of people do that easier. Maybe even expand to other schools. It just makes it bigger.”