Every year, thousands of musicians apply to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. Applications from Connecticut and New York range from punk-rock bands to acoustic solo artists.
Should a group win the contest, they’ll get to take the proverbial stage for their own Tiny Desk Concert and tour with NPR Music. They’ll be interviewed on All Things Considered and receive mentorship from stars in the music industry. The experience presents an opportunity to launch a career, maybe even into fame.
Yet, some entrants don’t submit to the contest, hoping to see their name in bright lights. Sometimes, the goal isn’t even to win.
“One of my favorite expressions [is] the results are none of my business,” said Elaine Rojas, from Ridgefield, Conn. Her submission, “Yeye,” is an original song, a requirement for eligibility in the contest. According to Elaine, entering the contest is less about the results, and more about valuing her work while getting to connect to others who find meaning in it.
“I think what people don't realize is, artists are being so vulnerable when we're putting ourselves out there, whether it is that live performance or something like a Tiny Desk entry,” she said. “ Because what you're saying is… I believe that it's worth being chosen. If I don't believe that, who else is going to believe that, right?”
Elaine has been playing music for 15 years and went to Purchase College Conservatory of Music to study jazz vocals. In addition to her work as a musician, she runs social media for her parents’ restaurant franchise, works as a nanny, and gives private music lessons. To her, persistence means more than fame.
“When you're younger, you look up to famous people. Like, they are the best because they're famous,” she said. “And now, being 30 and having no plans of stopping anytime soon, I think about all the artists around the world right now who are making it work and making the time to put out a record in the streaming era. Those people have tenacity.”
Long-time participants
For New Haven-based Charlie Catacalos, who has entered the Tiny Desk Contest every year since 2019, participating is a way to track their own progress and evolution as a musician.
“I especially like looking at the way that my writing has changed,” they said. “In the earlier years, when I was submitting, I was really into using synths and stuff. I think it's kind of interesting to see how my approach to it has kind of scaled back and gotten a little simpler.”
Charlie's submission this year is an acoustic song called “Deer Hunter,” a piece just under two minutes long that they first wrote about a year ago and continued to workshop, all while moving to Connecticut and starting work at the Yale Peabody Museum.
On top of seeing their own growth through yearly submissions to the contest, Charlie also said they notice familiar faces from one year to the next.
“The community around the Tiny Desk Contest, seeing the same people submit year after year, seeing how people evolve and grow in their songwriting and performance, is really cool. It's really fun to feel like you're a part of something bigger.”
A decades-long effort
Michelle Trefzger, who lives in New Milford, submitted “Silent Underscore” along with her band, Can’t Commit. As a musician in her mid-fifties, she plays music that she wrote while her kids were growing up.
“With the kids and everything, I didn’t pursue a career,” she said. “I was able to write a lot of stuff and not do anything with it, and then later on in life, I do something with it, and I still write.”
As a parent and working caretaker, Michelle said much of her time has been spent looking after the needs of others. But music had always been for her–something she did after her kids went to bed and she was off the clock. It’s become a big part of her identity and a reminder of her individuality. The Tiny Desk Contest means something to her because it celebrates creating something original.
“We all want the same thing,” she explained. “To be able to create something and not just take something that somebody else wrote. It's nice to have your own authenticity.”
So she pulled her band together, recorded a song, and submitted it. Winning isn’t the goal for Michelle, but if she were to get the opportunity to perform her work in larger venues, she said she’d want to pass the love for music forward to a young mind.
“It would be neat to be able to show somebody that, 'Hey, it is possible.' I think my grandson might actually take up the drums.”
Entrants are still waiting to hear who won this year’s contest, which will be announced here. Regardless, all enjoyed creating the music.
Want more? Follow the links to see WSHU’s favorite 2024 submissions to the Tiny Desk Contest in Connecticut and on Long Island.
