The Taste of Sounds audience dancing to one of the night’s performances.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Barnes
“Anything that [uses] your creative mind.” That is how Hofstra alum Virginia E. Donalds, one-third of the Taste of Sounds (TOS) team, defines art. In that sense, Taste of Sounds, an intimate, student-organized showcase created by Donalds, Will Omigie and Heather Grant, perfectly fits the definition of art. Right down to its name, TOS accurately describes music and other forms of expression. Not only can you hear or see the vulnerability that comes from someone performing, you can also taste it. TOS reaches beneath the surface, giving artists a platform and making a deep impact on the Hofstra community in the process.
When asked why the trio started TOS, Donalds explained, “We just felt as though there were so many creatives around Hofstra – around [the] Hempstead community – [who] needed a voice or a place to express themselves, so we created our first Taste of Sounds in August. We did it in a friend’s backyard. From there, the platform has only grown [and is] recognized by many outside of our campus.”
Donalds continued, “Now, it’s like, when I go to these different industry events and I’m like, ‘Yeah I have this platform called Taste of Sounds,’ they’re like, ‘What? Taste of Sounds? That’s you? I remember seeing you on The Shade Room!’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, people actually know what’s going on.’”
The Shade Room is a platform best known for their Instagram account that showcases trending news. Donalds explained, “This eight-year-old girl, Amahli Selassie came in and was rapping. She had the whole crowd going crazy. She was actually the one that went viral. That was one of the most memorable performances ever in TOS history.”
TOS’s greatest impact, according to its creators, is the community it builds. “The whole point was so that people could have a chance to show their art, to express themselves – express their true selves,” Donalds said. “It’s one thing to just make a song, but to actually perform it in your element, in front of people who you don’t know but you feel comfortable with – I think that’s amazing.”
She continued, “From the first Taste of Sounds, everyone was saying how they love that they can just talk to anyone who’s around them, even if they didn’t know who that person was. It’s amazing that we were able to build a community around people in Hempstead, Brooklyn and Hofstra.”
Omigie, a senior international business and management student, agreed, adding, “Expression means materializing their true selves, their inner selves, their inner enigma – putting your imagination into the world. Someone should have done this already; it was very much needed.”
He went on to say, “There are a lot of artists that have come and gone through Hofstra that didn’t get to express themselves fully.” TOS remedies that problem perfectly.
Before each showcase, the team puts out a call for interested artists. “Each month we give out a submission flyer saying to submit their poetry, [their] clips of them dancing or their music to our email and then the three of us go through everyone’s submission and pick out who we think would best fit the theme of the month. And then we contact them,” Donalds said. Some of the themes to look forward to are ladies’ night, poetry night and soul sessions.
The team believes that TOS gives previously silenced voices the platform they need. Donalds said, “I feel like being at Hofstra is pretty limiting because our only outlets are Hofstra Concerts and the record label. And although I do have the utmost respect for those platforms, they cater toward one kind of artist. One kind of genre. And I feel like at Taste of Sounds, we cater to many different types of artists, so many different types of genres.”
Not only does TOS strive to provide a stage, they strive to provide a challenge as well. Their goal is to push the artists to be their very best. “Our set list is never the same,” Donalds said. “That’s one thing we can attest to. You have to re-submit something new every single time. We also give artists a challenge, like, ‘How can I be different this time?’”
“I think we push them to be more than what they are, because it’s competitive,” Omigie added.
TOS is a place to connect with other like-minded people: “[Artists] get to [step] out of their bubble and connect with different creatives on different genres. One thing that we have gotten feedback about is that people love coming to Taste of Sounds because they leave with five new friends or five new collaborations or five new business partners,” Donalds said.
Omigie explained that he and his team have plans to expand the TOS brand. “We’re definitely going to be branching out in different fields, like food. So we’ll have Taste of Food,” he said, speaking about the variety and representation that can be expected in future ventures.
Donalds said her hope is “to have a Taste of Sounds in every borough. I love the idea of having this intimate space … We don’t have to have just one a month in a big venue, but it’s like, everyone can have a taste of Taste of Sounds.”
TOS was a dream that these three innovators sought to make real. “It started as an idea, really and truly. We just thought [about it], and now we’re here,” Omigie said. “I think my favorite moment was the first [showcase] when Greengrove, the live band, just started playing out of nowhere and caught everyone’s attention. And just like that, I saw our idea materialize and form.”
What makes TOS unique is the warmth and acceptance that is rooted in the mission of its creators. Donalds explained, “A lot of times, as well as at these showcases, you’re performing in front of people [who] don’t care about you … Even if I don’t know who you are, I’m still going to support you because you’re up here showing me your true self.”
The next showcase is on Friday, Feb. 28, at the Sundial Herbs & Herbal Health Food Shoppe in Uniondale. The TOS team invites all to bring their family, friends, loved ones and talent. Everyone is welcome, and every talent is celebrated.