Penn Musicians Battle for Top Spot in Fourth Annual Blutt Band Slam

Kyra Schulman, C'18, performs a cover of "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac.

As part of Homecoming weekend, student and alumni Penn musicians of all genres were invited to enter the fourth annual Blutt Band Slam, a Penn Alumni event executed by the Alumni Relations Office. Competitors were evaluated on their stage presence, use of performance time, originality, musical ability, and audience approval.

Judges included Helen Leicht, host of multiple shows on the world-renowned radio station WXPN; Anna Weesner, chair of the music department at Penn and recipient of a 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship and 2008 ‘Academy Award’ from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and Mitchell Blutt, C’78, M’82, WG’87, former executive partner of J.P. Morgan Partners and the founder and CEO of healthcare investment firm Consonance Capital. Blutt, who has served Penn long and well as a Penn Trustee, a member of the Penn Arts and Sciences Board of Overseers, and a member of the Penn Medicine Board, founded the event to ensure Penn students stay in touch with their musical side—something he says he let slip during his time at the University. In addition to his career in business and his involvement at Penn, Blutt has spent time in the recording studio, where he wrote and performed songs that appeared in the film Kettle of Fish.

Mitchell Blutt, C’78, M’82, WG’87, presents grand prize winner Kyra Schulman, C'18, with her award.

The winning student and alumni act were awarded $500 each, while the grand prize winner received $1,000. Kyra Schulman, C'18, a classical guitarist and singer-songwriter, took home the grand prize. Her performance included a cover of "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. (Click here to see a clip.) The other winners were student band Stonehaven, fronted by Mathew Hause, LPS'17, which plays hard rock music with a wide variety of influences from metal to funk to progressive, and alumni jazz band Wired, founded by Mike Goldman, C'84, parent, Dave Porter, C'83; Lew Blumstein, C'82; Lea Kichler, C'18; Tom Kichler, W'83, parent, and Scott Geller, W'82—most of whom were members of the Penn Jazz Ensemble in the 80s.

Stonehaven, fronted by Mathew Hause, LPS'17, won best student act.

Other student acts included Shilpa Sadagopan, C'19, who is trained in Indian classical music but proficient in a wide array of genres, including opera, pop and jazz, as well as songwriting; and Akshay Chandrasekhar, C'16, W'16, AKA Phortissimo, a hip-hop artist and beatboxer who performs original songs and remixes with lyrics that focus on intellectual topics.

Additional alumni acts included Steve "The Whistler" Herbst, C'67, an international grand champion whistler who has performed at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center; the band Moon Days, featuring John Mosley, C’14, which plays indie, pop, and rock songs stylized with synthesizer, flute, and vocal harmonies; and folk/rock guitar duo Jack and Arjuna, featuring James Allen, C'15.