Is Bird Library the new location for intimate concerts?
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Jackson Siporin was eager to find new spots for student musicians to showcase their talents earlier this school year. Surprisingly, Bird Library ended up being the first location to take him up on the offer.
David Seaman, Syracuse University’s dean of libraries and university librarian at Bird Library, said this is one of the first steps in expanding the role of libraries on SU’s campus.
“The library is broadening. It’s not the first thing you think of when you think of the traditional definition of a library,” Seaman said.
The dean said that Bird Library’s staff wants the space to reflect the full range of activities on campus and that the library is a place where communities form.
Tiny Desk Cuse is a live and virtual concert series that aims to showcase SU artists in an acoustic, intimate setting. Performances will occur every Thursday in Bird Library, and then they are uploaded to the project’s Instagram and YouTube accounts later in the week, Siporin said. The SU senior started the project through Blackstone LaunchPad, SU’s innovation and entrepreneurship hub, which is also based in the library.
Siporin, a music industry major, first became involved with Blackstone LaunchPad during the spring 2021 semester as a copywriter for the hub’s weekly newsletter. He is currently working as an intern for the hub through the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
As director of Tiny Desk Cuse, aside from planning the concerts, Siporin is responsible for post-production and running the Instagram page, and he even created the graphics to promote the first concert.
Linda Dickerson Hartsock, the executive director of Blackstone LaunchPad at SU, said that it was easy to host the event in Bird because of the chapter’s relationship with the library.
“Jackson came to me with the idea and said, ‘I don’t know where to do this on campus. I think it’s going to be hard to get permission somewhere.’ (And) I said, ‘We’re always ready to innovate at Bird Library — let’s do it right here,” Dickerson Hartsock said.
Through her vast background in innovation-led community revitalization, business development and startups — she was one of the founders of the performing arts hub Center For the Arts of Homer — Dickerson Hartsock has a “soft spot” for arts-centric entrepreneurship ventures, she said.
“If you’re in the creative arts, you are an entrepreneur, you really are. Your whole life is creating, but also understanding the business of what you’re doing so that you can make a sustainable lifestyle from it,” Dickerson Hartsock said.
NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” inspired the senior for the project — some of Siporin’s personal favorites being the Daniel Caesar and Saba episodes. The senior ultimately pursued it because he wanted to lead students in independently creating more spaces to showcase student musicians and other student-led endeavors on campus, he said.
Siporin is pleased with how the first show turned out, and he hopes to add some liveliness to the studying location.
“I think it’s different.” Siporin said. “I’m hoping that people that are studying are going to hear the music, pop in and see what’s up.”
Siporin credited his friends for helping him create the setup for the first performance on Oct. 14, thanking SU seniors Jack Harrington for sound and Sedona Regan and Charlie Hines for taping the show.
Erin Manion, who served as Tiny Desk Cuse’s inaugural performer and also helped put together the setup, agreed with Siporin’s sentiment.
“A lot of the support that we have is from the other students, and I think that there should be more faculty involved in making things like that happen,” Manion said.
She added that the music scene around campus is thriving, but she doesn’t believe it’s because of the school. Instead, it’s due to the community that the students created.
Although Siporin said he can’t reveal the specifics of his upcoming plans for Tiny Desk Cuse yet, he is looking to film the next episode on Thursday. He wants the concerts to eventually become a regular event at the library.
Seaman agreed with Siporin’s vision, saying he hopes the series encourages other students to branch out in terms of their own interests and music genres.
“I thought it was a great idea to showcase student creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship,” Seaman said. “Part of the fun, I think, is hearing musicians who may not be your favorite band or music. That can be a treat as well, to listen to new things.”