University plus city: a musical blend

Gonzaga's student musicians have made their mark on Spokane. Student symphonies and choirs perform downtown at the Fox, and Gonzaga's on-campus concerts and shows open their doors to the public. Too often, though, students fail to sample Spokane's own musical flavor. Senior Misha Bigos, a jazz pianist, wants to bring the University and the city together in a more dynamic harmony.

"I consider myself an ambassador between two worlds," he said.

First and foremost, Bigos emphasizes the richness of Gonzaga's music department. He wants his peers to know that the University does not demand that students arrive as fully-developed musicians. Gonzaga's professors have their own style and gifts to help students learn the art of performance.

Gonzaga has given Bigos the space and opportunity to thrive as a musician. By the time he started his freshman year at Gonzaga, he knew he loved music, but he thought he lacked natural talent and could never become a great pianist. Father Gary Uhlenkott and Dave Fague, both professors in the music department, showed him his error.

"They told me I could get as good as I wanted to get. It was liberating to discover that everything really depends on hard work and savvy," Bigos said. "If you put in thousands of hours, you will get better."

At Gonzaga, Bigos learned optimism and confidence. After four years at the school, he can now say with certainty, "Almost everyone sucks at almost everything. But the people who tell you that you can't get better – the cynics – are just hiding their own mediocrity. Every time doubt rears its head, you've got to strangle it, ignore the niggling voices…Doubt is like a gremlin-leprechaun creature: it seems cute, appealing; it makes giving up look so easy. But you've got to stare it in the eye and ring its neck. Feel the crunch." 

Bigos has a second message for his fellow Gonzaga music-lovers: Despite the resources on campus, students must also venture out into the Spokane community to take full advantage of the area's music scene. Bigos frequently performs with Spokane musicians.

In fact, he is the only Gonzaga student in his 11-piece salsa band, Son Dolce. Jack and Dan's and The Bulldog have their appeal, but Bigos encourages students to venture downtown to local bars and clubs where Son Dolce plays, including Uno, Blue Spark, and A Club.

As a vibrant salsa band, Son Dolce demonstrates the rich culture and diversity that students can find in Spokane if they look closely.

"It's the most diverse band in town. It's dank with tradition," Bigos said. He describes the music as "sweaty, visceral, primal…jungle music." Believing that "the original purpose of music was to drive people crazy," Misha loves the elemental quality of Son Dolce's sexy sounds.

Playing in Spokane has also opened additional doors of opportunity for Misha. Some of his local connections suggested that he call cruise companies looking for jobs. His efforts yielded results, and this winter he spent a month performing in the Caribbean.  From Guatemala to Costa Rica, from Honduras to the Panama Canal, Misha performed aboard ships with seven other musicians from all over the world. The ship's crew came from 35 different countries.

"I met people who I normally would never see in Spokane. I would sit down at a table with a Frenchman, someone from the Dominican Republic," Bigos said. "I saw all kinds of guest artists. It was a microcosm of show business."

Despite what it seems, Bigos' career has involved failures as well as successes. Last February, he auditioned for the Disney All-American College Band in Los Angeles. Disney turned him down. Shortly after going to California, he auditioned for Gonzaga's Madonnastock. The university turned him down. He has also competed at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho, for two years in a row and has not yet won.

Transparently, he includes all this information on his website in hopes that others can learn from his experiences.

Failure has presented Bigos with the adversity he says his privileged background lacks.
"I've tried to cultivate a story for myself," he said. Persevering through setbacks has allowed him to shape his musical narrative.

"Failure is in no way an indicator of what you can or cannot achieve. Failure forges us. You might now win this year, but you might win next year," he said.