51视频

03/02/2015
By David Perry

Briana Manalo was fine minutes before taking the Durgin Hall stage.

She knew the song聽鈥撀� Melissa Manchester鈥檚 鈥淭hrough the Eyes of Grace.鈥� She had more than a dozen members of the Riverhawk Harmonix a capella vocal group behind her. They鈥檇 been rehearsing the song since January.

Then she heard the crowd on the other side of the curtain. The spotlights glared.

Suddenly, the 2014 music education graduate felt her nerves fray.

鈥淗ey,鈥� said her best friend Morgan Llorens, sensing Manalo鈥檚 anxiety. 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry. You will be fine.鈥�

And she was. Stunning, in fact. Manalo鈥檚 honeyed vocals dripped all over the succulent background of the Harmonix. Sweet victory.

鈥淪he got me through,鈥� Manalo said after the performance of Llorens, a senior music major. 鈥淢y best friend.鈥�

Friends. Songs as friends. Songs as 鈥渟oul currency.鈥� Lyrics as a healing balm. Teacher as student and student as teacher.

So ended the three days of Grammy-winning pop singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester鈥檚 residency at the university, in which 鈥� at the behest of her lifelong friend and Big Apple soul sister, Music Department Prof. Gena Greher聽鈥撀爏he mentored music department students聽in songwriting and vocal technique.

Greher used funding from her Nancy聽Donahue Endowed Professor of the Arts award to bring Saturday鈥檚 concert to the state and used the moment to expand the reach of the music department into the community by embracing young musicians. The effort also raised $13,000 for the , in honor of the alum and former 51视频 String Project student and teacher who died last year.

On Feb. 28, students performed versions of Manchester鈥檚 songs, then Manchester treated the crowd of 600 to a 75-minute set, rendering both her hits and selections from her new (and 20th) album, You Gotta Love the Life. It all wound down with 100 or so performers onstage, and a larger-than-life, all-ages rendition of Manchester鈥檚 un-recorded, 鈥淧lant a Seed.鈥� Nearly two dozen students from the String Project performed, along with dozens of choir members from Lowell public schools.

All 51视频 the Songcraft

Manchester, 64, worked the stage like a woman half her age, even as old clips of her singing the bubbly pop of her Grammy-winning 1982 smash, 鈥淵ou Should Hear How She talks 51视频 You鈥� flickered on a screen behind her. Onscreen, a Spandex-clad singer skipped around the stage like an aerobic-age sprite, while the wiser, mature and less glammed-up version of Manchester belted the song with undiminished power.

鈥淟et鈥檚 just for a minute discuss those shoulder pads,鈥� she mocked her fashion choice of more than three decades ago. 鈥淵ou could serve lunch on those.鈥�

If the previous two days were a tutorial, Saturday night鈥檚 performance was Manchester鈥檚 practicum.聽

Following the student tributes, she showed them how it is done, with grace, humor and hard-won perspective. Also, backing tapes. In addition to Sue Holder on vocals and percussion, and keyboardist/vocalist Frank Strauss, Manchester fleshed out her sound with pre-recorded music. Early in the set, she sang to a track and video of her late friend, composer Marvin Hamlisch, as they rendered the Oscar-nominated theme song from Ice Castles, 鈥淭hrough the Eyes of Love.鈥�

She chatted between songs about how they came to be. It was an evening over a 鈥渓arge bottle of wine鈥� shared with Kenny Loggins that helped birth 鈥淲henever I Call You Friend,鈥� a smash for Loggins and Stevie Nicks.

It was always about the songcraft, be it within the slinky, 鈥淔eelin鈥� For You,鈥� her new, Keb Mo-produced single (inspired by an overture from a drunk bar patron), or such ballads as 鈥淢idnight Blue鈥� and 鈥淒on鈥檛 Cry Out Loud.鈥� She sang a salsa-fied medley of Great American Songbook classics by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, and a slowed, seductive version of The Ronettes鈥� 鈥淏e My Baby.鈥�

Generous and big-hearted, Manchester鈥檚 performance was part Brill Building, part Fame and part Glee, as if set in a cabaret.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been three days of sheer heaven,鈥� says Greher, whose parents were best friends with Manchester鈥檚. Manchester grew up in the Bronx, Greher Queens, and their bond has never weakened. While Manchester scaled the charts, Greher produced commercial jingles before joining the university. A few years ago, the University of Southern California invited Manchester to teach a music class. She still does.

鈥淲e were talking about how our paths have been so diverse over the years,鈥� said Greher. 鈥淏ut we find ourselves doing the same thing in terms of working with kids and giving back.鈥�

鈥淭he students here I found very earnest and curious to learn,鈥� Manchester said after the show. 鈥淭hey are just starting their adventure. I remember it when it was exciting and new.鈥�

She was moved by interpretations of her songs. Backed by student and alum players, music students Eve Folden sang 鈥淏right Eyes鈥� and Rachel Driscoll did 鈥淗appy Endings.鈥� Alumna Jaclyn Soep did a spirited 鈥淪ing, Sing, Sing鈥� dedicated to Joyce Pang, a close friend. Senior Laura Altenor led the in a fervent rave-up of 鈥淗eaven.鈥�

On Feb. 26, in Fisher Rehearsal Hall, Manchester told her first class that songs were 鈥渟oul currency.鈥� That what songwriters do might be noble, but don鈥檛 expect anyone to take you seriously.

鈥淲hen we go to work, we go to play.鈥�

And yet, she added, 鈥淭his is serious business.鈥�

Over her 45-year career, she noted, 鈥淚 have seen songs which society has dismissed that have changed a life, changed a mind and galvanized a nation.鈥�

At 17, in 1970, she was selected for a songwriting class at New York University taught by Paul Simon. But first, she had to audition.

鈥淧lay something,鈥� he said.

She did.

鈥淧lay another.鈥�

She did.

鈥淧lay one more.鈥�

Manchester did one more song.

鈥淵ou listen to Laura Nyro a lot, don鈥檛 you?鈥� asked Simon, citing one of the most successful young songwriters of the time.

鈥淎ll the time, every day,鈥� she said.

鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 time to stop now,鈥� he said.

His point was this, said Manchester: 鈥淎ll the stories have been told. It is the way you tell your story that is your stamp of authenticity.鈥�

When a student asked about teaching a girl whose main subject was her mother鈥檚 abusive relationship, the singer told him about Woody Guthrie.

When he wanted to write a song about the dustbowl, the Depression and devastation, 鈥渉e didn鈥檛 pick at that scab,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e wrote this land is your land, this land is my land.鈥� It was a metaphor for hope.

鈥淎 blade of grass breaking through concrete stops me in my tracks,鈥� she told the students. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 possible.鈥�

Spending Soul Currency

During the class, Laura Altenor and fellow senior Sam Descoteaux performed for Manchester and the other students. Descoteaux accompanied himself on piano on his 鈥淐avalier鈥� and Altenor performed her song, 鈥淲hy.鈥�

Sitting on the lip of the stage, Manchester offered constructive criticism.

鈥淭hat was inspirational,鈥� said Altenor later. 鈥淚鈥檓 encouraged that I鈥檓 in the right field, and this is what I want to do.鈥�

In addition to the classes, Greher showed her friend around campus.

鈥淚 even took Melissa around to rehearsal rooms and popped in on the kids. You should have seen their faces. And all the different permutations of her music blew her away. The a capella arrangement. And a piano trio. She never imagined anyone doing that with her work.鈥�

Rachel Crawford is a music teacher at the and 2004 music studies alum, earning her master鈥檚 in music education in 2006. She noticed the excitement her young charges felt just before taking the stage for 鈥淧lant A Seed.鈥� They were to sing with a Grammy winner. Their parents were out there. There were lights, cameras.

鈥淭his is the big time,鈥� they said to one another.

鈥淵up,鈥� said Crawford. 鈥淯ntil you get famous and come back to visit and perform for us.鈥�

Some would call it karma, some paying back. The students here call it spending some soul currency.