Harper College’s Spring Fest returned on April 3rd and 5th with a new format designed to better engage the campus community and highlight faculty talent.

Spring Fest featured many gifted musicians playing a wide variety of instruments, including guitars, violins, cellos, pianos, clarinets, and vocals.

Now in its second year under the leadership of Edward Hamel, the festival is split into two separate events: one on April 3rd featuring louder and electronic music and another performance held on April 5th, featuring music that is more classical and experimental in nature. The change followed feedback from last year’s combined program, which offered a broad mix of different genres.

“While the event was pretty well attended, the audience feedback was not the best as some folks are not interested in hearing all of that music in one program,” Hamel said. “This year, we tried to do two separate events: one event was Thursday, April 3rd, for more amplified music, and the other was the concert you attended last night (Saturday) night.”

Initially planned for the outdoor Pavilion, the April 3rd concert moved indoors due to an unexpected change in weather, but the festival’s spirit remained. 

“My idea was that students could attend the event between classes, hang out, get outside for a second in the middle of the day, and hear some music,” Hamel said. “I may try to push the event back a bit next year. We’re always trying out new ideas.”

Spring Fest also showcases Harper’s musical talent. 

“I love providing an opportunity for our community and students to hear our Harper faculty,” Hamel said, who began managing the event in Fall 2022.

Looking into the future, Hamel hopes to grow its lineup by bringing more Chicago-based artists to campus.

“We have brought in Chicago artists like Calico Loco, Moontype, and Pinksqueeze,” Hamel said. “I would like to bring these Chicago groups out to Palatine so our students and community can hear music that may not be easily accessible.”

As Spring Fest continues to evolve and grow, one thing is clear: music brings the Harper community together one note at a time.