The GUMAs - GU Music Awards: A Memorable Night of Music!
Published: May 21, 2024
Author: T. Sunderland
GUMA winners Yamato Asakura, D'Arcy Johnson, and Aaron Taflinger
The GUMAs (pronounced Goomah’s), or GU Music Awards, is an annual event highlighting the hard work of the students enrolled in Greenville University’s Music Department.
Just like the Grammys, the GUMAs culminate in performances and awards. Students submit original songs, productions, and more, which are voted on anonymously throughout the GU community and beyond.
Whitlock Recital Hall is transformed into something straight out of LA – complete with backgrounds, a spectacular light show, and both large and small stage setups. For this year’s GUMAs, tables were set up for the audience members, and guests were dressed to the nines for the event.
Tessa Moon and "Man in the Mirror"
Fusion, a funk-pop ensemble that includes some of the campus’s top musicians, opened the evening with “Want Me Back” by Cody Fry and Corey Wong. Intermixed throughout the awards presentations, the night showcased performances by Tessa Moon performing Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” D’Arcy Johnson performing Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie Movie, featuring Professor Gary Erickson on Cello, and Aaron Taflinger performing his original composition, “I’ll Wait.”
Aaron Taflinger performs with Fusion and D'Arcy Johnson performs "What Was I Made For?"
Fusion came back and closed the evening with “Better” by Cody Fry, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, and “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
Additional performances occurred on the small stage: Sienna Alvarez performed Bruno Mars' “Count on Me” featuring Yamato Asakura on Ukulele, and Thom Hoagland performed “Nobody,” a hauntingly beautiful original composition.
Jack Rugg took on the Big Stage with the infamous 80’s hit, “Who Can it Be Now” from Men at Work.
Professor Grace Denton and Nathaniel Kriebel perform "Gratitude"
It wasn’t only students who shined at the GUMAs. Faculty got in on the act, too. Professors Gary Erickson and Grace Denton gave a nod to the Worship Arts portion of the music department, accompanied by Nathaniel Kriebel with “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake.
Thom Hoagland and Jayden LeTellier showcased their own audio post-production projects to the audience's enjoyment. In the Audio Post-Production class, students take clips from movies, eliminate all the sound elements, and recreate all the voice actors, music, and sound effects from scratch using virtual instruments, other students from campus, and even dig into their own foley.
Another project highlighted on stage was an original movie score that was composed by Creighton Monroe in the Computer Orchestration class.
It was a celebration of music for all – the artists and those who enjoyed the results of their creative labors.
And the winner is…
Best Male Vocalist of the Year - Aaron Taflinger
Best Female Vocalist of the Year – D’Arcy Johnson
Best Engineered Song – Yamato Asakura for “Ethereal,” written and performed by D’Arcy Johnson
Best Producer of the Year - Yamato Asakura
Best Covered Song – D’Arcy Johnson for “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2
Best Original Song – “I’ll Wait” by Aaron Taflinger
REWATCH the GUMAs here.
