This year at Kelly Quad, home of the Undergraduate College of Human Development, resident assistant Noah Montague ‘19 dreamed up the Kelly Music Festival, a musical bash with a charitable twist.

Earlier this year, Montague, a second-year resident assistant, suggested the quad put together a battle of the bands party. His supervisors told him that years ago, Kelly was known for an annual music festival. Montague thought it was a perfect fit.

“I wanted to take what was offered in the past, which was just musical performances, and expand it to include other activities, food and off-campus vendors,” he said.

“We wanted to offer an event that was more than just having fun. Ideally, we also wanted the ability to contribute to an organization that could benefit from our support,” Montague explained.

They began to research charities focused on music education, and selected the Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit that provides public schools with funding, materials and professional development for music education programs. Proceeds from a Stony Brook apparel raffle at the fest will be donated to the foundation.

Kelly Music Fest featured performances from a variety of student and local musicians. They included singer-songwriters, pop artists, and R&B/hip hop groups, among others.

Sal Fratto ‘19, an English major and jazz studies minor, is no stranger to taking the stage. While Fratto performed solo at the fest, his indie-punk band Elephant Jake has toured half of the U.S. and parts of Canada.

“It’s so important to keep a sense of community thriving at the University, and live music is a great way to accomplish that,” Fratto said. “The camaraderie here at Stony Brook is unparalleled. Being a part of this festival has been really important to me, and I was honored to perform for everyone.”

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