This Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m., Slosberg Music Center will play host to its first-ever Student Coffeehouse. While coffeehouse events are usually more strongly associated with Cholmondeley's, the choice of Slosberg as a venue will allow a full showcase of the eclectic interests of campus musicians, including classical, folk and a cappella music.As one of the night's performers, Aimée Birnbaum '10 writes in an e-mail, "I love classical music (from Bach to Bernstein) and perform it in more formal settings, I play folk music in my spare time, I enjoy doing musical theater if a good opportunity comes up, and I even did a cappella for a few years." The Student Coffeehouse offers an informal setting for musicians such as Birnbaum to share talents that would otherwise be subordinated to more academic pursuits.

Another musician who will be playing that night, Jared Field '11, indulges his diverse musical passions by participating in a wide array of Brandeis musical ensembles, including the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, Top Score, Chamber Choir and the Irving Fine Society, among others. "Some have called me insane," Field admits, "but it's hard to choose between these groups, and I somehow manage to get everything done anyway."

Field's latest club endeavor is presiding over a "Ninja Band" that will play surprise concerts around campus this year. The spontaneity of the club's focus reflects a general shift in campus musical events towards more casual formats, which can also be seen in the Student Coffeehouse and the Music department's new Friday Music Breaks series.

Field, a Music major focusing on composition will be sharing his first passion on Sunday: the clarinet. Field started playing clarinet in fourth grade and has fallen in love with the instrument. "I really can't imagine myself without it anymore," he says. "I think it has one of the most beautiful tones of any instrument, . and it has a really varied and colorful range."

Field will join pianist Jae Han '10 in performing two movements of "Sonata for Clarinet and Piano" by 20th-century composer Paul Hindemith. "In this piece [Hindemith] uses a lot of chords built on fourths, and lots of echoing between the clarinet and piano," Field explains, "which is pretty challenging to fit together." However, the collaborative process inspires him to persevere. "I love collaborating with other Brandeis students in concerts like these," he says. "Brandeis has a lot of really amazing musicians, and it's always fun to work with them."

Other performances on Sunday include a set by the a cappella group VoiceMale and a solo performance by Han of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata K. 457 in C minor.

Birnbaum, a Music major with a focus on classical vocal performance, will be playing folk songs on her guitar, a change of pace for the singer. "I . felt that it would be fun to do some songs with my guitar, as opposed to singing classical music with an accompanist, because it's an aspect of my music I haven't shared yet with most of the folks over at Slosberg," she writes.

Birnbaum links her diversity of interests to her choice to matriculate at Brandeis. "Brandeis let me simultaneously study everything I love, an experience I never would have gotten at a conservatory," she says. Field chose the University for similar reasons. "Even though music is my main passion, I don't want to leave my other interests un-nurtured," he says. Both are pursuing second majors-Birnbaum in Classical Studies and Field in Philosophy.

As for the future, well, neither is quite sure yet. Field says he's looking into a number of different careers, from conducting to composing music. According to Birnbaum, "Music will always be an important part of my life, but in the long run, it might not take center stage, so to speak."

-Andrea Fineman contributed reporting