In Northwestern’s crowded music performance scene, two students are attempting to fill a need they think is still unmet: classical music performed by engineers, or any other majors.

The McCormick sophomores, Yoke Peng Leong and Yuanjia Zhu, formed a student music performance business in April called JP Music that will offer affordable classical music for special events.

The group will be available for hire at events such as weddings, corporate events and other special events in the Chicago and Evanston areas. Zhu said they started JP Music because they saw a lack of an outlet for classical music performance groups at NU. She said one of her friends started a similar organization in China, and it was very successful.

“I know a lot of friends who are not music majors but want to do live performance,” said Zhu, an international student from Shanghai.

Leong and Zhu both played music in high school but will act as the business managers for the organization rather than musicians, partly because their instruments are not classical. Leong, an international student from Malaysia, plays a traditional Chinese instrument called the erhu, which is similar to the violin. Zhu played electric piano for 18 years but is also trained in bassoon. The pair said if they are still in the Chicago area after graduation, they would like to continue running JP Music.

For students in the Bienen School of Music, plenty of opportunities for performance exist, Bienen freshman Robinson Meyer said. The school offers a gig referral service to connect people who need to hire musicians with current music students. However, only student musicians in Bienen can be placed on the list for referral.

JP Music would act as this kind of service, but for any musically inclined NU student, regardless of school, major or age.

“The better the musicians, the better our organization will be,” Zhu said.

The group is looking for students who play piano, oboe, violin, flute, clarinet, bassoon and several other instruments. Leong said they have received around 40 audition tapes so far and are still deciding how many performers to accept.

“This would be a compelling opportunity for people outside of Bienen to get involved in the professional world,” Meyer said.

Still, Meyer said he foresees some possible problems in the structure of the business.

“The hardest part will be regulating quality,” he said. “The best musicians are already doing things, and they’ll be hesitant to leave.”

The group’s founders said their goal is to provide classical music for people who might not be able to afford professional musicians. Zhu said as a student-run organization, they will be able to offer their services for a better price.

In addition to performing in traditional venues, Zhu and Leong hope to perform at nonprofit events.

“If a nonprofit became interested in our music, we would perform for them for free because we really look up to them and we want to help them,” Leong said.

Zhu said she hopes to organize musicians to perform at nursing homes and for others in need.

“For those unfortunate people, they need those joyful moments, and music can bring those moments,” Zhu said.

In the future, Zhu and Leong hope to expand their venture into other areas and nearby schools.[email protected]