On Monday, October 21st, Ohio Northern invited the “sophisti-pop” band StarWound to perform at the annual English Reading Series in Presser Hall. In addition to providing live entertainment for the audience, the musical trio also adapted three poems written by creative writing students and professors into a musical performance.
Based in Athens, Greece, StarWound has been touring the world and creating music for over a decade. Their latest project, “Interiors,” brought them to the United States, and they have spent the fall season touring at universities across the midwest. Pianist Petros Bouras reached out to Dr. Jennifer Moore in November 2023 and proposed that Ohio Northern be a part of their cross-country journey.
After nearly a year of communication and planning, StarWound’s visit to the university was officially in the books. Members of the English department were invited to submit song lyrics or poems to the band that related to the theme “Interiors” at the beginning of the fall semester. In addition to Dr. Moore’s poems, pieces by Orionna Howard and Charles Seibert were selected by the band to be musically adapted and performed during the Reading Series event.
Reading a poem on paper is one thing, but hearing your words come to life through music is an entirely different experience. Art is subjective, and it is common for individuals to interpret poems in different ways.
Such was the case with Dr. Moore’s poem “I Hope the Owl Remembers Me,” which she originally envisioned as a stripped down song with a piano or guitar. When she first heard StarWound’s demo of her poem, Dr. Moore found the musical style her work was transformed into “surprising,” noting the EDM band’s use of electronics and synthesizers.
“I don’t listen to that kind of music very much,” Dr. Moore chuckled. “I mean, it was amazing to hear the adaptation of the songs to that particular style, and I love hearing…Konstantina’s vocals. It was very interesting to hear such a different kind of adaptation of the content to that genre of music.”
Students from a variety of academic programs filled the seats of the recital hall, intrigued by the band’s international background. An estimated number of seventy people were in attendance, which is nearly double the amount of attendees at previous Reading Series events.
“I think that made the reading series more successful because it brought in other potential audiences,” reflected Dr. Moore. “We had all the music students, we had the performing arts students, we had the students who are doing all the tech and the visuals…because it had a reach beyond just creative writing, I think that’s what sort of brought in the other students.”
In addition to performing at the Reading Series, StarWound also visited Dr. Moore’s Confessional Poets class and Dr. Erin Torres’s Music Appreciation class. By answering the student’s questions and providing valuable insights, StarWound exemplified the importance of collaboration when producing art.
“The idea of them bringing student creative writing and then collaborating, creating music with it highlights this idea that…first of all, we’re not just…creating in isolation,” said Dr. Moore. “Even if I wrote my poem and it is taking place in a moment in time in the speaker’s head, it has so many more dimensions once other people get involved. I think it was very cool because it kind of pushes against the idea of the creative person in isolation. It’s like no, this is a huge collaboration, we all get to share in the experience together, so I really appreciate the collaborative aspect of the event.”
The English Reading Series gives students on campus the opportunity to network with other creatives and express their appreciation for storytelling. By partnering with StarWound, the event was able to reach new audiences and make an impact on a variety of departments.
