Name: The Stoic Poets
Members: Pat Birk, Camille Getz, Ned Stevens and Henry Vaughn
Dorm: Coral Towers residence hall
Act: Band

What is your biggest inspiration?
Pat: I don’t really have one. I love The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin and really a ton of other stuff. I’m inspired by my dad, who taught me to play guitar, and my mom, who encouraged me to try music in the first place.
Camille: I’m inspired by musical child prodigies because they make me wonder what I’m doing with my life.
Ned: My biggest inspiration is probably my dad. He’s a musician and he has always made it possible for me to love music while still taking it seriously.
Henry: Satan.

How long have you been performing and what made you interested in performing in the first place?
Pat: I’ve been performing since I was 4 years old, when I started playing piano. I didn’t sing with a band until I was 14. It just looked like it was a lot of fun, so I figured I’d try it. Also, I wasn’t good at
ports.
Camille: I started playing violin and viola when I was four because I had a friend who played the violin and I wanted to try it too. I started performing with string quartets and youth symphonies beginning in middle school.
Ned: I’ve been playing since I was a little kid and started performing with my dad at an early age, so it’s something that’s always been a part of my life.
Henry: I’ve been performing for my whole life. I do it for the honeys.

What made you decide to participate in the UVL Prelims?
Pat: I went to UVL last year and was super impressed and I decided I wanted to try and play in it this year.
Camille: Pat told me that he was entering UVL and I thought it’d be fun to join.
Ned: I participated in the prelims last year, but my group didn’t prepare nearly as much as we should have, so when Pat asked me to do it this year I decided it would be fun to try again.
Henry: I was forced to.

What was the first thing that went through your mind when you found out you were advancing to the finals at Skirball?
Pat: I was pretty excited. But it also made me hope that we had just gotten the ball rolling on something that would go beyond UVL.
Camille: “Now I have to figure out what to wear.”
Ned: Just pure excitement. It’ll be probably the biggest audience I’ve ever played for, which is probably the thing that excites me most as a performer.
Henry: I joined the band after that happened. So basically a tower of money.

What would winning UVL mean to you?
Pat: Winning would be great, but I’m really more excited to try and put on a great show and reach as many people as possible.
Camille: My parents are coming out from California to see me, so winning would just make me really proud.
Ned: Winning UVL would be simultaneously so gratifying and so motivating. It’s a wonderful feeling to see all the work you’ve put in as an individual and as a member of a group start to yield tangible results.
Henry: It would mean that we won UVL.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Feb. 24 print edition. Bryna Shuman is features editor. Email her at [email protected].