UNM's Music Society Brings Soundtracks to Life in Spotlight 16
- Hayatun Syamilah
- Dec 20, 2025
- 4 min read
Our Music Editor, Syamilah, attended Spotlight 16 and was left in awe, mesmerized by UNM Music Society’s stunning renditions of beloved soundtracks. Read her full review of the show here:
The night air above the cafeteria set a lifted yet peaceful atmosphere as The Music Society of UNM prepared for Spotlight 16. Comfy sofas facing chairs lined in a semicircle, a drumset behind the chairs to the right and a keyboard to the left.
Spotlight 16 for the Music Society in UNM is another year to spotlight great music mediums and musicians alike, featuring the live mixture of violins, clarinet, trumpet, keyboard, drums, and voices from the students themselves. After long days of classes, many came to support friends and enjoy a highly anticipated lineup of music.
OST’s For The Anime Lovers
The first segment began as the ensemble entered the stage with their instruments and sat in their respective places.
The music started to build up into melodies and impactful harmony as we heard our first OST, ‘THERE IS A REASON’ from the anime No Game No Life: Zero. An elaborate piano intro smoothly moving into soaring violins, later joined by the drums, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone and even an electric guitar. The uniqueness of the performance successfully brings along the important coming-of-age flavour in anime OSTs.
This was followed by ‘Avid’ from the anime 86, a showcase where they let the string and wind instruments shine, and ending it with the typical drums. The orchestra’s rendition of Demon Slayer’s iconic ending song, ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba - Kamado Tanjiro no Uta’ pulls at the heart strings of fans of the anime. The clarinet opens into a beautiful yet saddening song.
These performances gave a great look into the talent of the UNM’s Music Society’s orchestra members and the music they are able to recreate. Most importantly, playing such OST manages to instill pride in the media that anime lovers consume, all from the melodies they recognise.
Music To Make You Feel Like You’re Flying
The next song took the audience on the couches on a ride in the skies. ‘Romantic Flight’ from the movie How To Train Your Dragon was played by the orchestra as they replicate the iconic soundtrack of the scene when Hiccup and Astrid ride Toothless into the sky. The crowd was at the edge of their seats hanging on to every note, listening intently, especially to the outstanding saxophone. It was a touching moment in culture that resonated with all that has clear memories with this franchise.
After The Intermission, New Instruments Enter…
After the intermission from the fantastic first half, the choir joined the stage to showcase what they prepared. Once they said they were singing a song from La La Land, the crowd roared in excitement. They began with “Another Day of Sun”, led passionately by the head of the choir. The choir’s upbeat, unified voices transported the audience to the movie’s lively highway scene, as if everyone were dancing atop cars.
To make the moment even more memorable, the orchestra returned to join the choir for more songs from La La Land. ‘City of Stars’, a moving and moody piece, combined the choir’s dynamic vocals with the orchestra’s instruments, translating the song’s somber yet beautiful mood to the audience. There were members of the audience who sang along to the memorable lyrics, and all were engrossed with the atmosphere made in the room that night.
The piece concluded instrumentally, seamlessly carrying the atmosphere into the next segment.
On A More Joyful Note… Mamma Mia!
The next song, ‘Mamma Mia’ by ABBA, also in the musical movie Mamma Mia, brought the audience to dance in their seats. When the chorus hit, the audience mumbled the lyrics quietly, in respect to the choir who sung it loud and proud. The bright song with its notable trumpet, was recreated in an orchestral form splendidly.
Then when ‘Dancing Queen’ was queued up for the next song, the audience gasped in delight, even more so when the intro started with its disco-pop sparkle. The glittering and sing-song energy of the track bounced off the performers to the audience happily swaying to the music.
The Night Comes To An End
The night came to an end on a nostalgic note, with each song leaving a flutter of happiness in everyone's chest. As the emcees concluded the night, the audience dispersed in their own groups. Some congratulated the performers from their amazing job, others headed to the photobooth with their friends to capture the memorable experience.
Spotlight 16: Soundtrack Ensemble by the UNM’s Music Society was definitely an event to remember, as I will certainly remember it fondly. With every Spotlight hosted by the Music Society, comes a chance for the students to experience fun entertainment on campus, as well as to support the art, and even join in the action themselves.
Whatever next year’s Spotlight holds, it promises another unforgettable evening of performances from a talented group of university students. I will surely be eagerly tuning in!
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