Students performed original songs and covers from around the world Friday night at Songwriters Association at Northwestern’s third annual Kresgepalooza in Kresge Hall.
Inspired by NPR’s “Tiny Desk” concert series, the annual music festival showcases NU musicians and songwriters. This year’s theme was “World Tour 2024” and the venue included five rooms, each themed with a different city: Athens, Tokyo, Mexico City, Sydney and Marrakesh.
Within each room was a backdrop of the city along with themed decorations related to the city, such as a mini cardboard Parthenon in the Athens room and papel picado banners in the Mexico City room.
Bienen and Communication senior Anna Castagnaro, SWAN’s co-president, said she was pleased with Friday’s turnout.
“Every room I’m going into has such a great, attentive audience,” Castagnaro said. “I think everyone’s doing so great, and it seems like everyone here is having a good time.”
Castagnaro said the planning for Kresgepalooza began in Winter Quarter as SWAN members prepared for the theme, sets, lighting, tech rentals and performers.
Weinberg senior Leslye Molina, who performed in the Tokyo room, said Kresgepalooza was well planned because performers were given information weeks in advance.
“Playing was a little nerve-wracking, but I think it went well,” Molina said. “It was a great opportunity for me to express my creative side.”
Molina played covers of songs throughout her 30-minute set including “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons and “Talking to the Moon” by Bruno Mars.
Weinberg senior Jane Mavis performed both covers and original songs in the Athens room. She said she found her second-ever performance with SWAN to be very “comforting.”
“Everybody in SWAN has been very affirming,” Mavis said. “Even (with) photoshoots, people are trying to hype you up because they want you to do well.”
When the idea of Kresgepalooza came to SWAN founder Eddie Ko (Communication ’23), there was no precedent for an event like it at NU, he said.
After the first Kresgepalooza in 2022, Ko said he was just overjoyed that SWAN had managed to pull off the festival.
“We had no idea, no proof it was gonna work,” Ko said. “We were beyond proud that we were able to get it done.”
In the second year of Kresgepalooza, Ko said he and others in SWAN’s leadership took what they learned from the first year to improve and expand it. He said he focused on creating infrastructure and stability within SWAN to ensure that Kresgepalooza would not end after he graduated.
Ko returned to NU for this year’s festival and said he was proud of seeing the progress SWAN has made in its third year and the new members “carry on this legacy.” He said he is excited to see where SWAN progresses in the future.
“We’re grinding, (and we) just go for it with the entrepreneurial spirit of SWAN to constantly challenge and iterate and try new things,” Ko said. “That was really present here.”
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