By day, they guide students, run departments and keep campus life moving. By night, they step into the spotlight, taking their talents from the university halls into the bright lights of a concert stage. Albert Salinas works as the operations manager for the communication department and the staff advisor for TigerTV. On top of that, he’s the current guitarist of the band Collective Dreams. He has performed with the band since he was 15, where he developed his passion and skill for his instrument.
“None of us really had formal training, so it was a good opportunity for us to just kind of experiment,” Salinas said. “We were all on the same level, and we all kind of grew on that same trajectory of wanting to make music.”
Although Collective Dreams once performed more often and went on tours, according to Salinas, as members got full-time jobs, things died down. Still, the band meets once to twice a week to practice and performs regularly in San Antonio.
“You know, it’s one of those things where I think like, if it’s your passion, you just find time,” Salinas said. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if I didn’t have music in my life.”
Similarly, music and performance are important to Abra Schnur, Trinity’s archivist. Schnur sang and wrote lyrics for Pleasure Delay, a band that said its goodbyes during one last performance on March 18 of this year.
“It was so important for me to have this creative outlet in addition to me working full-time and having a family and having two young children,” Schnur said.
Although Pleasure Delay won’t be performing together anymore, Schnur is still planning on pursuing music for herself. In addition to her lyric writing, Schnur is aiming to experiment with learning new instruments and sound design.
“I have a lot of equipment and technology at my house that I haven’t really had the opportunity to explore because we’ve had the band and we’ve had band members who can play instruments and stuff,” Schnur said. “I’m trying to frame it in a positive way that I will now have time to start as a beginner in this stuff and while maybe my songs will sound like bedroom pop and very stripped down. It’ll just be me doing this for my own reason.”
Andrew Kania, professor of philosophy, isn’t currently in any bands, but he can play the piano, the violin and the acoustic guitar, and he’s performed in multiple choirs such as the San Antonio Chamber Choir. In addition to playing music, Kania also teaches it in his classes, such as his current class on Taylor Swift.
Despite studying the philosophy of music, according to Kania, he rarely implements his research into his actual performance of music. Although he’s written some pieces for his research such as an alternative arrangement to Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” he keeps his performance and his philosophy mostly separate.
“I feel like it doesn’t affect my musical creation that much,” Kania said. “I’m very much focused on musical practices as they actually occur.”
In addition, Kania feels less connected to music at Trinity. He grew up in New Zealand, and according to him, that’s where he makes the most music.
“I just feel like I have these musical connections in New Zealand that I don’t really have in San Antonio because I’ve always sort of been a philosopher here and not a musician,” Kania said. “I don’t do as much making of music as I would like, especially when I’m here because I feel like I’m so busy working.”
Tahir Naqvi, associate professor of sociology and anthropology, currently sings and plays guitar for the band Hotel Torgo. Unlike Kania, Naqvi has found more connection to San Antonio in his music.
“Through my band, I have become a part of San Antonio. It’s my way into the city,” Naqvi said.
Hotel Torgo is currently planning on recording and releasing their album within a few months.
