Set the stage to a courtroom. The trial? A murder case. The witness? A mime!
Meet Lando Pierone. A junior at Wake originally from Florence, Italy, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Cultural Research Preservation. You may know him as a member of our campus comedy troupe, the Lilting Banshees. “In my first Banshees role ever I had no lines. Something we’re trying to do more of as a troupe is to incorporate different types of humor, including physical humor. I was playing a mime who was recounting a murder case, and I had to explain everything through mime.”
Pieroni got involved in Banshees as a freshman. As a musician he was looking for new opportunities to be on stage. While he still writes and acts for Banshees, his priorities since joining have spread to new avenues on campus. As the theme program advisor for the sustainability house, Pieroni and other house members collaborate to come up with new ideas and programs to support sustainability in our community. “Sustainability is more than just the ecological mindset behind it. We also think of sustainability is how to maintain sustainable relations on campus and with people around you.” All the events the house puts on involve something ecological, like helping out at campus garden or Saturday morning campus clean-ups. But they also hold events like spaghetti night, where people all over campus are invited to come enjoy some homemade vegan spaghetti sauce with gluten free or regular noodles.
Impressed? We haven’t even hit Act II. Lando is also a musician for the music department. With a father who is a passionate photographer, a sister who studies classical piano, a mother who loves fashion, and an uncle who is a singer songwriter, “I grew up submerged in an artistic culture, there was no way I could escape it.” This inspiration lead him to start playing classical guitar. “Classical guitar encompasses so many different genres and cultures and countries and their music. It’s the thing I’ve stuck with most throughout my entire life. It’s a way to establish who you are through a different medium.” Hi current focus is applying for a Richter Grant to travel to Brazil and conduct research on the effects of environmental conservation as it relates to the preservation of culture and national identity.
While he is not majoring or minoring in music, he is building up a solo repertoire while preparing for a recital in April accompanying senior, John Gorelick. His guitar and banjo background have also helped him get involved with the campus bluegrass band, a campus group run by Dean Allman whose concerts raise money for charity. “We have our biggest show of the year coming up on February 3rd and 4th for the Shalom project, a nonprofit based in Winston Salem that deals with the cycle of poverty.” Some of Pieroni’s favorite on campus memories have come through his connection to the arts. “Last year I played a show with my own band called ‘Bentley’ just outside of Campus Grounds. My friend was playing a solo, and I distinctly remember really feeling the rhythm of the song and having a feeling that that moment was going to last forever. Like I was just going to be on this little cement square outside of Campus Grounds playing music for all of these people until the day I died because it felt so so good.”
Hi best advice to other Wake Forest students? “It’s easy to get attached to whatever is in front of you, but don’t be afraid to explore every resource on campus. It’s better to be more busy than not because then you can [step back] and think about what is most important.”
Photos courtesy of Lando Pierone