Grammy-nominated group works with marketing students

Students in a Marketing Communication class are putting together a marketing plan for A Far Cry, a Boston-based chamber orchestra that is nominated for a Grammy Award, which will be announced this Sunday, February 8. From left: Isabella Sierra '15, Julianna Buck '15, Sofia Gomez-Ruiz '15, Tiffany Roca '15, and Alexandra Tsui '15. (Photo by Dan O'Brien)

Students in a Marketing Communication class are crafting a marketing plan for a local chamber orchestra that happens to be nominated for a Grammy Award. The awards are being presented this Sunday, February 8.

A Far Cry is a Boston-based group whose album, Dreams & Prayers, features a composition by Performing Arts faculty member Mehmet Ali Sanlikol and is nominated in the category of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.

“I think they definitely deserve it,” said Andrea Martucci ’08, MA ’12, the faculty member teaching the class. “A win could help propel them even faster into success.”

Students in Martucci’s class this semester are tasked with increasing publicity and brand recognition for A Far Cry, a self-conducted chamber orchestra which operates as a nonprofit organization aimed at increasing cultural awareness in Boston.

“In reality, there’s not a huge difference between a Grammy nomination and a Grammy win,” Martucci said. “You’re among the few.”

The students are just beginning to craft their strategy for A Far Cry and plan to watch the chamber orchestra members rehearse this month. They hope to raise the orchestra’s profile to help its fundraising goals and to increase attendance at live performances, some of which take place at the New England Conservatory.

“They’re so down to earth,” Tiffany Roca ’15 said of the group members. “They still perform at a [rehearsal studio] storefront in Jamaica Plain for everyone outside to see, which is a great selling point.”

Several students admitted orchestra music is not a genre they typically listen to, but said that invites an interesting academic experience.

“It provides a different set of challenges,” said Julianna Buck ’15. “A lot of [A Far Cry’s] audience is 55+ [years old], but they’re also trying to tap into people in our age group.”

The students say a Grammy nomination or win adds a definite twist to their projects.

“It gives them credibility,” Roca said. “They definitely have natural talent, and now they can create buzz.”

“It makes it exciting and a little easier for us,” said Alexandra Tsui ’15.

“Even if they don’t get it, to know a music group working here in Boston is Grammy nominated…is a great selling point,” Buck said.