Dana Arthur, a senior vocal performance major, dedicated her first solo
concert to breast cancer awareness.
The Lion's Roar / Megan McCormick
One student pianist took a stand against breast cancer through her first solo concert featuring popular covers as well as original songs.
Southeastern’s Presbyterian Campus Ministry sponsored Dana Arthur, senior vocal performance major, who performed last Thursday in Pottle Auditorium. Though Arthur has performed with other groups on campus, she was nervous about playing a full solo concert.
“It took lots of practice. I will be featuring some of my original songs tonight. I’ve worked hard to calibrate with other musicians and balance school with practicing,” said Arthur.
Before the concert began event coordinators Brent Goodrich, a Visual and Performing Arts graduate student and PCM president, and Analynn Sober welcomed the audience and introduced Arthur.
A family member with breast cancer has affected both Arthur and Goodrich. Both relatives were young and the sickness was unexpected. The benefit concert was held in their honor.
“It’s not about raising money. It’s about spreading awareness. I want others to realize that you’re never too young to stay informed and involved,” said Arthur.
One of Arthur’s original compositions throughout the night was “You’re the Reason,” a song dedicated to soldiers. She noticed that a recording of hers put on YouTube attracted a particular demographic.
“I’m not a YouTube star, but one day, I went to see how many views I had on my song,” said Arthur. “I saw that I had views from Afghanistan. I like to believe that the soldiers listen to the song and are inspired while they’re away.”
The show kicked off with a performance of Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” Throughout the familiar chorus audience members joined Arthur in singing. r
Arthur plans to host other campus activities and work with other cancer societies to continue to raise awareness about breast cancer.
For more information, e-mail the event coordinators at brent.goodrich@selu.edu or analynn.sober@selu.edu.