Alumni in tune with musical goals

Turn up John Stephens' microphone -- he wants to be heard. And if Saturday's Foundation-sponsored "Soulcoming" concert was any indication, he will be. Penn alumni John Stephens and Rob Murat, who both graduated last year, performed their mix of R&B; and soul to a crowd of more than 100 students and Philadelphia residents packed into the Rotunda. The two singers each performed 1 1/2 hour sets of their own material to an energetic crowd. Both Stephens and Murat currently work in New York as consultants for major financial firms, but plan to become full-time performers. While at Penn, Stephens was the musical director for the a cappella group Counterparts, while Murat was the musical director for The Inspiration a cappella group. "[Music] will be my full, 100 percent life," Murat said. "This is my passion, this is my destiny. I'm living a double life -- if I'm not at work, I'm working on my music." Stephens said he feels the same way. "I want to get a record deal. I want to get out there and be heard by as many people as I can," he said. Stephens recently did lead and backup vocals with Pras -- formerly of the Fugees -- for the rapper's upcoming album, and worked with Lauryn Hill on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as a pianist. Success won't come easily, though -- and they both know it. Indeed, the two men acknowledge the great deal of persistence needed to survive as an unsigned artist. "There's no formula to it, you can't just decide, 'I can make a hit,'" Stephens said. "You never know what anybody else wants, but you just gotta keep making art that you think is true and authentic. I think that's the biggest challenge." Stephens counts Lauryn Hill as one of his major influences, from a philosophical and artistic standpoint. "Lauryn made this artistic album that people emotionally connected with, and it was able to be a pop success," he said. "That's what I want to do. I want people to respect the work I do and also listen to it. I think soul music needs some more real artists. Hopefully I can help fill that void." Until Stephens makes it big, he's playing clubs in Philadelphia and New York several times a month and working to get his demo heard. "I'm not that big yet," Stephens said, "but it's exciting. I love it." The Foundation is a student-run group that brings local and regional artists to Penn for concerts every weekend, for a total of 50 or 60 concerts a year. Andrew Zitcer, staff advisor to the Foundation, said the program aims to promote interaction and understanding between West Philadelphia residents and Penn students. "We're a community student collaborative group that focuses on the principle that art is a medium for social change," Zitcer said. "It's about bringing the local community together, using the arts to build bridges." The program is working. The large audience was a 50-50 split of Penn students and Philadelphia residents. "We saw John Stephens at the TLA about two months ago, and we came to see him tonight," Philadelphia resident Kerry Wilson said.

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