A chorus of laughs, cheers, and claps echoed through Arnhold Hall, mingling with the sound of instruments being tuned, as the room transformed into a vibrant music venue. A line of smiles stretched across the faces of crew members and performers as they prepared the stage. It was clear that this was no ordinary event — it was a celebration. 

This past Sunday, Nov. 17, New School’s College of Performing Arts (CoPA) hosted the 50th Sunday Sessions. Occurring bi-weekly from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the initiative is student-led and offers two to three student artists each week the chance to showcase their original music in front of a live audience. The sessions have aimed to help student musicians build their careers on music platforms such as Spotify and Youtube since 2023, when Sunday Sessions programming started in partnership with the University Student Senate (USS) and Office of Student Leadership. 

For those involved behind the scenes, the milestone was emotional and cathartic. Co-founders Ori Brutman and Spencer Sher, along with production staff, expressed their pride in reaching this point. 

The evening began with a stunning symphonic performance by composer Amir Sanjari and his orchestral ensemble. With violins and cellos weaving a slow melody brimming with tension, the performance enchanted the audience, who sat in rapt silence. This was one of the first classical ensemble performances at Sunday Sessions. 

After the string performance, guests were ushered into a reception area for announcements and a moment of celebration. A table decorated with sweets, fruits, and beverages awaited guests. In the middle of the spread, a cake with “50th Sunday Sessions” written on it waited to be devoured.

Among the crowd was Camelia Schinner, a USS senator and student in the Bachelor Program for Adult Transfer Students (BPATS). Schinner, attending her first Sunday Session, was impressed by the talent on display. “You could tell that all the students that are working for Sunday Sessions are super professional and dedicated,” she said. Reflecting on her experience at the New School, Schinner added, “Being in a program that’s pretty isolating and doesn’t have a cohort or a central meeting place, it’s really nice to see events that are open to students from all schools, across the university.” 

The second performance of the night brought Johnny Knollwood to the stage, his entrance met with cheers of excitement. “Let’s get this party started!” he shouted, and the energy of the room immediately shifted. Bathed in bright orange light, Knollwood’s dynamic guitar riffs and powerful vocals electrified the audience, his performance being an undeniable highlight of the evening. 

Shannon Hughes, a backstage coordinator and associate producer for Sunday Sessions, watched Knollwood and his band from the sidelines. Hughes has been working with the project for over a year in various roles, from filming and editing coverage of the sessions to managing their social media. “It’s so important to have this be somewhere we could celebrate with the entire New School community. Music is something where everybody can be involved,” Hughes said, echoing attendee Schinner’s earlier comments regarding community. For Hughes, a range of performers is also essential. “There is a diversity of music that we try to show at Sunday Sessions,” she said, also mentioning that the variety of musical performances reflects the diversity of the New School community.  

The night concluded with an eccentric performance by Nory, an alumni known for hisexperimental style and powerful political messages. Nory’s set on Sunday was a dynamic fusion of rap, lights, and sound. His performance was intense and interactive, inviting the audience to join in as the night reached its conclusion. 

Nory graduated last year from the BPATS program at The New School, where he studied political science and contemporary music. He was one of the first performers at Sunday Sessions, and over time, he’s seen the platform grow into a valuable space for emerging artists. “It gives them a lot of great connections and a lot of great friends to make who are inspired by the same things. It also is amazing content because they’re recording video that is really high quality. And I think every artist now needs that shit,” he said, emphasizing the benefits of Sunday Sessions for starting artists. “I’ve seen a lot of great New School artists and discovered a lot of them through Sunday Sessions. People watch them and are genuinely interested around the world.”

Nory believes Sunday Sessions provides more than just a performance space — it’s a launchpad for career opportunities. “One thing I’ve learned as an artist is … someone will find you and hit you up and then that will lead you somewhere else. There’s no way to know where these things lead to other than that they will lead places,” he said. 

As the night wrapped up, it was clear that Sunday Sessions had fulfilled its mission as a performance series and exceeded to foster a thriving community connecting students, artists, and audiences. As noted by Schinner, Hughs, and Nory, music has a powerful capability to connect people, and with countless genres and styles to explore, there is something for everyone to enjoy. From Sunday night’s meditative drama of orchestral sounds, charged pulse of rock, rhythm, rhyme, and rap, there was a new melody as well as a community to uncover. 

Disclosure: Johnny Knollwood freelances for The New School Free Press.