ARTS

Empty Orchestra Performers Fill Auditorium with Sounds of Music

By Michelle Moday
Guardsman Arts Editor

Thirteen contestants with DVDs and a microphone competed for a top prize of $200 Friday night at the City College Asian Music Club's (AMC) eighth annual karaoke contest in the Visual Arts auditorium. But even with a cash prize going to the winner of this year's "Talent Quest" competition, the main reason students stood in the spotlight in front of a full house of peers and a panel of judges was purely for fun and the love of singing.

Photos by Michelle Moday Margarita Carranza won over the crowd and the judges last Friday.

"I don't care about the money," said City College nursing student, Ivy Marin. "I just want to sing." On Friday night, she walked on to the floor in a glittery denim dress and sang "A moment like this" by American Idol champion Kelly Clarkston.

Contestant and theater arts major, Diane Olivia says she likes karaoke because she sings all the time and wants to perform on stage and in films professionally. She wasn't nervous or concerned about the competition; however, both Marin and Olivia agreed that the ""I Will Survive" singer was very good." With regard to the competition as a whole she said, "I really like the diversity of songs and people singing in different languages."

A group of eight female and six male semifinalists were selected from a preliminary field of 64 contestants. The competitors were judged on intonation (35%), interpretation (30%), presentation (25%) and diction (10%). Prize amounts for first, second and third place were $200, $100 and $50 respectively.

Before the show began, participants warmed up their voices and cooled down their nerves in a room next to the auditorium. Some ate, others sang, and some joked with each other.

Joshua Law, professor of Voice, Choir and Music of East Asia, pointed to Andrew Bachmann, who took second place at the end of the evening, "Funny thing is, this one sings in Chinese," Law said. Bachmann, a Caucasian computer scientist who studies Mandarin at City College returned the sarcasm with "Funnier still, there's a lot of Chinese people here who sing in English."

To start off the show, Professor Grace Yu, AMC Advisor and City College ESL instructor expressed appreciation on behalf of the organization to the audience, "We are truly excited our contest has attracted campus-wide attention," she said.

Then Law warmly introduced his colleagues and the distinguished panel of judges. And Richard Yu, last year's winner and one of this year's emcees, laid down a few cheeky rules, "No stripping, swearing or lip synching."

After the lights went down, MTV-style videos of each contestant were shown before they performed. Applause erupted. Cameras flashed. And a winner was chosen.

Margarita Carranza, who sang "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor and "I'm Going Down" by Rose Royce, walked away with the grand prize but wasn't present for the announcement. The show had run over time and she had to get home to be ready for work the next morning.

Since 1995, the AMC has hosted a karaoke contest every year but one. This year's third place winner and one of the club's Vice Presidents, Karen Ho said that "Talent Quest" took about a month to coordinate.

Although AMC organizes the show for fun, it is not an event where people come to make fools of themselves. "We are serious," Law said.

 

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Representing Blueprints for Red-hot Fashion
Fashion coordination class puts together the latest styles for fall and winter 2003

by Jim Powell
Guardsman Copy Editor

Spectators packed Smith Hall Cafeteria to get a first-hand look at this year's Fall Fling Fashion Show.

Photo by Norm Perez-Brena Tomoko Yamaguchi poses in an outfit coordinated by City College fashion students.

A dozen models walked the floor and posed on platforms, showcasing the season's trendiest fall and winter styles, to the sounds of hip-hop.

Lorraine Bustamante, one of the show's organizers and a fashion merchandising student, said the show targeted students in their early-to-mid twenties and focused on modern fashions "lots of fur, lots of red and baggy jeans for the guys."

Fall Fling is the collaborative effort of students in the City College's fashion coordination class.

Fashion photos were collected from magazines such as Elle and Cosmopolitan. "We put the pictures into a book and used it as the blueprint for the show," Bustamante said.

Former City College student Jesse Khong designed some of the features pieces. Other outfits were either donated by Buffalo Exchange or purchased from other local retailers.

Models were family, friends, or classmates of the organizers.

"Everyone involved in organizing the event either contributed a model or were models themselves," said Bustamante.

Ladeania Gardner, an image consulting and business psychology major said, "Even though the models weren't professionals, I thought they were great. I loved the styles."

The sister of the designer, Quynh Khong, who modeled a red and white mini-dress with a red beret and white boots said, "I thought the show went smoothly. We all worked together."

On Dec. 4, in their last show of the semester, the fashion department will showcase popular 80's retro-styles in "Falling Back Into the Fashion."

The event is free and will be held in the Smith Hall Cafeteria at 12:30p.m.

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Taste Art in a Native Tongue at the Café Musée

by Michelle Moday
Guardsman Arts Editor

An opportunity to enjoy a few hours of life as the French do: speaking the beautiful language, eating well and discussing art, is available to French language students as well as other francophiles and francophones, all without the cost of a plane ticket.

Café Musée, a City College club for people interested in practicing French language and discussing art, began during the spring semester of 1999. The club caters to those who want to enhance their understanding of the language outside of the traditional setting of the classroom.

In fall 1998, Jan Elvee and a group of Continuing Education students: including English instructor Camilla Bixler, began to create a realistic French experience and interactive method of learning where a larger group of people could be accommodated.

According to Renée Morel, faculty advisor, French and linguistics instructor at City College, the student-run club currently has about 30 members but "like candidates in French elections, the number varies constantly," she says. "Most of us are evening students from the bustling Castro Campus but we represent all campuses, as well as continuing education and older adult students. Indeed, we embrace all of the Bay Area as our constituency."

Café Musée also coordinates campus-wide events with San Francisco State and Sonoma State University. A network of French cultural and learning institutions in the Bay Area, such as Alliance Francaise and Lycée Francais International, promote the club's events and outings.

Typically, Café members meet to enjoy a continental breakfast and afterwards attend a gallery, studio or museum. Art shows and slide presentations cover a variety of genres, artists and discussions conducted in French.

To get the most out of the discussions, a person might want to have some knowledge of French but interest is more important. A wide range of fluency exists among the group, and those who are not as fluent as others are not overlooked.

Presenters speak English and also communicate with the universal language of images. "It's very visual and everyone has a bigger passive knowledge of a language than an active one. People are thrilled when they realize they understand a great deal," Morel says.

The next campus-wide event will take place Saturday, Dec. 6. The club will discuss Italian sculptor and painter Amadeo Modigliani.

Morel extends an open invitation, "Anyone who wants to come to our meetings and outings is most welcome! We say bienvenue!"

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City College Program Benefits from Women, Food, and Wine

Left: Vintner Sally Ottoson pouring wines from Pacific Star Winery

Vintners, chefs, authors and food specialists gathered in the Pan Pacific in San Francisco for "Her Fork in the Road," a celebratory evening for women in the culinary arts.

Attendees tickled their tastebuds with hors d'oeuvres and lent their ears to Bay Area culinary writers and editors during a panel discussion. Proceeds benefitted the Hotel and Restaurant Program at City College.