Staff Writer
Natalie Gelman stole the spotlight on Tuesday afternoon as she performed on stage at the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union with guitar in hand. Outside of the United States, Gelman has performed in front of crowds in Austria and throughout the Caribbean Islands. She also was able to gain entry to the world renowned Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (with aids from the Juliard School prior to her collegiate education as a graduate of the class of 2000 from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Vocal Performance).
Gelman began by playing the piano and violin, and eventually learned to play another instrument in high school. Among her many performances include a few trips to Carnegie Hall in New York City, where her interest in guitar and music theory began. Upon her completion of education at the University of Florida, she chose to perform on a regular basis.
“I didn’t really know I could write songs,” Gelman recalls.
She admitted that “a lot of people were writing music on the guitar and piano…the first thing I ever wrote was actually on the piano.”
She also said that the first guitar she ever owned was a friend’s guitar that was given to her for free. From there, she was glad that everyone immediately wanted to help with the behind-the-scenes work for putting an album together.
“I love all my shows,” she said on travelling and how much she appreciated being an artist’s opening act.
When asked about her SC experience, she said nothing but kind words about the time she spent here.
“It’s pretty incredible how beautiful [the campus] is, especially considering that the tornado came through,” Gelman said. “It’s funny to me that I’m not too far from having graduated college…[I’m] thinking, ‘Awe, I wish I had gone here.’”
She was impressed that they had the crowd that she did and that the student body is pickier considering the type of music that dominates the mainstream airwaves. But of her songs that have been written, she feels that she has a strong connection with a song that she had written the week before at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
The Campus Activities Board’s next performer will be comedian Ben Kronberg at 8:30 p.m. on Mon., Feb. 6 in the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union. The next noon-time performance will be by Kyshona Armstrong in the same building that Thurs., Feb. 9.
Ricky Mazella may be reached at rmazell@springfieldcollege.edu