Sold-out Spektor haunts Duke

Regina Spektor's eccentric musical stylings will come to Duke this coming Monday with her highly anticipated concert in Page Auditorium, sponsored by the Duke University Union.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter arrives on campus after what many would consider a breakout year-the fact that tickets to the Page concert sold out in less than a day speaks to her wide appeal. 2006 saw the release of Spektor's acclaimed album, Begin to Hope, and in recent months the artist's videos have been YouTube and VH1 staples. One of Spektor's songs, "Music Box," was even featured in a television commercial for J.C. Penny that aired this fall.

But despite the critical and commercial success, Spektor has remained true to her quirky, anti-folk roots. Rising from Manhattan's Lower East Side, Spektor is best known for the intimate yet austere themes her songs explore and for the distinctive vocal idiosyncrasies she sprinkles throughout her albums. A single song might include beatboxing, operatic wails and the occasional verse sung in French or Russian.

Spektor's piano-driven live performances often lend themselves well to such unconventional lyrical delivery. Spektor has been known to sing, play piano and drum out percussion beats using just a drumstick and her chair all at once. Other songs are solo, a capella efforts with nothing but Spektor's voice and the occasional tap or snap of the fingers. Prodigious musical talent aside, Spektor is widely acknowledged as a humble and gracious performer, often conversing with fans and showing effusive thanks.

Joanna Hayes, a senior and longtime Spektor fan, agrees.

"She was so human, and it made me appreciate her music all the more," Hayes said of a previous performance. "No matter how much people have listened to her music beforehand, everyone who sees her in Page is going to be shocked by her vocal range. You won't even realize how good it is until you see it in person."

-Bryan Zupon

Regina Spektor performs in Page Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets are sold out.

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