Above the sound of crackling cans and loud chatter, amid curling smoke and the glow of purple string lights, heavy instrumentals flooded the basement of the Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity house and echoed through Eagle Row.
These were the sounds of “Pulse Planet,” The Emory Pulse’s bi-annual arts and music Symposium. The Pulse, a student organization aiming to promote the arts at Emory, has hosted the event in the ATO backlot for nine years before 2024, featuring student musicians performing covers and original songs for a live audience.
After three Symposiums at various venues, the event returned to ATO this fall — a change that excited Symposium XX’s participants, musicians and organizers. For student guitarist Chetan Desai (28C), the basement locale improved his experience.
“I know last year was on the Freshman Quad,” Desai said. “Having it in a more communal space, a closer space together, is just better.”
According to John Cross (28C) and Penelope Park (28B), the president and vice president of The Pulse, respectively, the ATO venue marked a return to form for Symposium.
“We're finally back at ATO, which is really exciting, paying homage to our tradition,” Park said.
Symposium offers an opportunity for student musicians to play in front of a typically bustling crowd. From solo performances to band acts, the event spans multiple hours and showcases a variety of talent. For Cross, watching Emory’s art community come together and celebrating others’ music is his favorite part of the tradition.
“It’s the influx of people when we start the show and the loud music and people screaming for their friends,” Cross said.
Guitarist Pierre Alvarez (27C) played in his first Symposium last fall, but has frequented the event since the spring of his freshman year. During Symposium XX, he played in two bands: Crustaceanization and Ouroboros. Emphasizing the evening’s ambiance, Alvarez appreciated the organic, student-led nature of the event.
“A lot of the times at Emory, the University will put on an event, and they’ll try and get a lot of people to show up, and all the marketing will look the same for it,” Alvarez said. “But this feels very organic.”
To Alvarez, part of the organic nature comes from the location. Nathaniel Fox (27C), an ATO member whom Park and Cross dubbed their “liaison” to the fraternity, advocated for the event’s return to the ATO house.
“We have a very specific space in the Emory community,” Fox said. “We are a fraternity, but we also are very concerned with being involved around campus, working with other clubs, promoting the arts. And music in general is a big part of who we are.”
Cross noted that, along with facilitating Symposium’s return to ATO, Fox leveraged his position as both a fraternity brother and a member of The Pulse to help ensure there was enough room and electricity to accommodate the performers and attendees.
“He bridges that gap between us and the space, because we don’t live here,” Cross said.
Outside, individuals played basketball or sat on a couch chatting with friends while musicians performed, contributing to the spirited yet laid-back atmosphere. Indoors, attendees packed together in the house’s small basement, standing shoulder to shoulder while they danced and sang. There was no stage — just musicians and an audience crammed together. Caleigh Radzin (28C), a student vocalist and guitarist, appreciated the venue’s vibrancy.
“I didn’t expect everyone to be so into it and singing along, but it totally helped being up there, because everyone was looking back at me smiling,” Radzin said. “The energy was insane.”
With a variety of outdoor signage and decorations, such as an inflatable spaceship capturing a cow, Symposium XX’s extraterrestrial theme was enjoyable, but the music was the centerpiece of the event. Alvarez was most looking forward to performing his own set, but he was “pleasantly surprised” by the performances from bands he was unfamiliar with.
“This band Butch Fail went first, and they do a lot of really cool stuff,” Alvarez said. “I’m also excited for some other cool bands, like Flight Time.”
Symposium unites Emory’s arts scene, fostering community outside of only music and bringing together students across campus. Some students performed with multiple bands, and many came to support their friends.
“It's very community-oriented, everyone's talking to everyone,” Radzin said. “So many people are giving hugs to people. So many people have stopped me and been like, ‘That was such a good set.’ It definitely feels like a little community.”
Even after smoke triggered a fire alarm midway through the event, forcing performers and audience members to wait outside until the fire department gave an all-clear, Symposium charged forward. From mosh pits to student band grenadine’s rendition of Billy Joel’s “Vienna” (1977) to students hanging around outside, the music and electric energy continued past midnight.
“Everybody's in there dancing,” Fox said. “It's packed. The music's loud. Listen, just listen. I couldn't have asked for anything more.”
Amelia Bush (28C) is double-majoring in English and PPL (philosophy, politics and law). She is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and enjoys walking around its many lakes. Outside of the Wheel, you can find her reading, scrapbooking, or attempting a New York Times crossword.
