Lerner Hall will present a series of free concerts throughout the school year as part of their Live at Lerner concert series. From 12pm to 1pm, come see the world famous beatboxing flutist, Greg Pattillo, and his not-so-traditional chamber ensemble, PROJECT Trio. Pattillo is best known for his series of YouTube videos “Beatboxing Flutist”, where he remixes popular tunes with his unorthodox style of music. With some videos amassing over 25 million views, he’s basically a YouTube celeb.  There will be free food!

Update: Gazpacho soup, vegetarian paella, Spanish salad of oranges, fennel, red onion and dressing, and a dessert of arroz con leche (rice pudding) are all on the menu for the low price of free!

In the mean time, you might be wondering what Live at Lerner is all about.  We got in touch with Yanyi Luo, CC ’13, the student intern in charge of programming this year and self-proclaimed lover of puppies, to ask about Live at Lerner and their plans for the year.

What is Live at Lerner?

Live at Lerner is an initiative out of the Student Development and Activities Office (in the Division of Student Affairs); the entire team comprises of me and my adviser. And we’re here to deliver high-quality events that anyone in the Columbia community can enjoy.

When was Live at Lerner created and for what reason?

The official blurb is “since 2000, Live at Lerner has been committed to fostering the Columbia community through free or low-cost events of diverse culture and ideas at a center for student life,” and it’s also to get people to see Lerner as a student center. I think beyond that, though, it’s a genuine attempt from the administration here to connect to the rest of the Columbia community. Why else would they hire a student to help plan and coordinate events?

What are your plans for Live at Lerner this year?

Some really awesome stuff.

We’re hosting a series of lunchtime music shows from mostly off-campus bands every month, affectionately dubbed “Sounds” events. There’s free food (on a first-come, first-served basis), and a performance from an up and coming or established artists from the New York scene.

We’re also doing study breaks for both the midterms and finals seasons that will feature fun and free activities and food. Oh, and of course more giveaways like our Welcome Back Robicelli’s event during the first week of classes and other events–the details for those are still under wraps, though.

How can I stay updated about what Live at Lerner is doing?

We print calendars of our events for every two months (i.e. Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec, etc), which you can get at any of our events or by visiting Lerner 515. Or you should check out our Facebook page, where I update on our events and post music that we’re listening to, or even music that you might hear live from the Lerner Piano Lounge some day.