Starving Artists' semester show, "Will Sing For Food," is not only a play on the group's name but also description of the performance's role as a food drive. JustArts e-mailed with an Artist about the process of putting on the final show of the semester.JustArts: What has Starving Artists been up to lately?

EG: Starving Artists has been performing at coffeehouses and gigs on campus as well as rehearsing for our fall semester show "Will Sing For Food." We've also been busy preparing and fundraising to record our newest CD, which plans to be released in Spring 2011! And we're psyched to mention that we recently selected a bunch of new songs to add to our repertoire. During break, we plan to arrange these numbers and start learning them at the beginning of next semester.

JA: Tell us about your show, "Will Sing for Food."

EG: We call our annual fall semester show "Will Sing for Food" because we host an annual food drive to donate food to a local homeless shelter. We enjoy performing for the Brandeis community, and in this semester show, we debuted a bunch of fun, catchy arrangements that we've been working on for the past semester! We also retired a bunch of solos that we've been performing for a year, as this semester show marked our last show of the semester. We were so honored by the amount of people that came out to support us-especially during a pretty rough time with finals just around the corner. We collected a TON of food and we look forward to donating it during our recording week right before we all leave for break.

JA: Do you usually incorporate food drives and charities into your shows?

EG: We take pride in coordinating and hosting events that raise money for charities. We enjoy performing at coffeehouses on and off campus to raise money for clubs and organizations, as well as hosting our annual A Cappella Fest, which includes all of the a cappella groups on campus to perform together and donate proceeds. Last year, we raised over $650 and donated the money to the Brandeis Haiti Relief Effort. We look forward to our annual fall semester food drive as well. We've found through the years that donating money or food, as well as our time to share our music with the community has been a really meaningful experience.

JA: What are some of the challenges what you come across while preparing for a show?

EG: Space is always the biggest issue. There are only so many spaces big enough with decent acoustics on campus to host performances, and Brandeis is fortunate to have so many talented a cappella groups on campus. Unfortunately though, there are always conflicts with scheduling and reserving desired locations-especially because we all want to attend the other semester shows to support our friends.

JA: How did the new members of the group do this year?

EG: We're so honored to have Jason Dick '14 as a member of our group. He's been such a pleasure to sing with, and he always brings such a positive energy to rehearsals. At our fall semester show, he solo-ed a number that we've kept in our repertoire for at least the past five years, called "King." I think people were so impressed with his voice and can't wait to hear his new solo, which he'll be debuting next semester!

JA: What do you do as events coordinator for Starving Artists?

EG: I plan our semester shows as well as an annual campus wide fundraiser called A Cappella Fest that features performances from every a cappella group on campus and raises awareness of and money for local charities. In order to successfully plan these activities, I'm in constant contact with faculty, Conference and Events Services, Sound and Lighting technicians, Public Safety officers, as well as the Brandeis Department of Student Activities. I also designate jobs for our group members to complete in order to publicize the show on and off campus, sell tickets, and decorate the performance spaces. Essentially, I couldn't plan these events without such a devoted, enthusiastic a cappella group to work with!

JA: What's your favorite part of singing a cappella?

EG: My a cappella group is my family on campus. I love singing and spending time with everyone in the group, and it's always so much fun to work on arrangements and perform them on and off campus. I'd say my favorite experiences as a group member have been performing on campus at [Cholmondeley's] and during semester shows, working hard in rehearsals and hearing an arrangement come to life or "click," as well as performing in Salem during Halloween.

JA: Do you have any closing thoughts regarding your experience with Starving Artists?

EG: I recently declared a business minor and my work in coordinating events has been a really great role for me to experience the business aspect of a cappella! And I love being a part of Starving Artists. I can't wait to record our newest CD!