Keene State’s Social Activities Council (SAC) has found its new Spring Concert Coordinator in Chris Ragalye, a junior who has been a general member of SAC since his first semester at KSC.
After being a general member, Ragalye was then elected to the SAC e-board in December of 2022 to begin serving on it in the spring of 2023.
Ashleigh Moroni, the president of SAC, said she has known Ragalye since his first year at the college and believes he is the perfect fit for the job.
“[Ragalye] has a lot of passion for this position and organization and has been super excited to begin the work on the concert,” Moroni said. “I am confident in his ability to bring the concert together, and the entire e-board’s support will be behind him.”
To run for concert coordinator, candidates must be nominated by someone else. Each nominee gives a speech to the SAC e-board and answers questions, followed by a vote.
“I love music. Music has always been a passion for me,” Ragalye said. “When I came here, I knew that Keene State College did a big-name concert, so hearing that a student got to plan something like that, I immediately thought, ‘I want that. I want to do that.’”
Ragalye said he knew that planning the concert would not be as easy as it sounds. He said he would have to get in contact with the talent agency Concert Ideas and consider the budget, performer options, tech needs and hospitality needs. He said he would also need to find an opener and go through the same process with that artist as well.
“I won’t lie, it is a nervous thing,” Ragalye said. “It is a big concert, and a lot of people go to it. [I am] naturally a little nervous but overall, I have the experience, and so far, it has been smooth sailing.”
Ragalye said as of now there are no plans set in stone as to what the concert will be, but there are some ideas floating around.
“Unfortunately, we do have to take it one step at a time as we are still waiting on budget,” Ragalye said. “A lot of it has been, ‘Hurry up and wait,’ so to speak. But I do have ideas, and we are thinking about names, you’ll just have to wait for the big reveal.”
Ragalye said he and SAC are putting a lot of work into this and as a student, if you have never experienced the Spring Concert, they highly recommend going for a first-hand experience.
“The concert is a lot of fun if you’re a freshman. It’s a great way to experience a big-name artist that you have never seen before in a safe environment right here on campus,” Ragalye said. “It is definitely a good experience, and I recommend it to everybody. Even if you don’t know the artist, it’s still a fantastic time. It will help show us that you want another concert.”
Dominic Rubio can be contacted at
drubio@kscequinox.com
