Community, Art Harmonize at Coffeehouse Night

By: Theresa Woods

It is not often enough, it seems, that campus variety events deliver all of the talent, entertainment and, well, variety that they promise. Usually they fall short with lackluster acts or performances that all seem to be the same. The Honors College’s Coffeehouses night certainly did not conform to that stereotype.

The mood of the evening was set by the soft lighting that gave the cavernous classroom an intimate feel. A sign hung behind the stage area welcoming students to the event. Artwork was displayed along several tables, and as students entered they were immediately drawn to imaginative scenes of desserts, fruit, and the Beatles, with the black and white pieces of Jessica Maservey garnering special attention.
      
Over the course of the evening, around a hundred students were treated to all different kinds of music from instrumental classical pieces performed by Janine Kiray and Talia Quartetti, to Taylor Swift’s “Today Was A Fairytale” sung by JenniferThai, Kristin Pearce & Kyle Goodrich. Susana Alvarado-Tricoche brought an international influence to the evening with the Abraham Velazquez song “Amandote.” Jamie Hodes performed twice -- once solo with “Miserable At Best,” originally fro Mayday Parade and again with Brandon Oakes with Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.”
      
Some students, however, chose to share their own words. Catherine Lim surprised many with the beautiful and honest lyrics to her original song “Melt,” and DeDe Khan performed the only poem of the evening, her own “I Want You Back” that ended with the powerful message that “ignorance will always be bliss.” Homer Alibutode and Jose Manzo performed their own song “Reaching Into The Dark,” and Kristen Pearce performed her untitled song that was so well-written and well-played that she left many in the audience wondering where it had come from.
      
Several performers brought so much charisma and undeniable stage presence to the event that the audience couldn’t help but give back. William Crowley and Kyle Goodrich had onlookers clapping in time with “Secret Agent Man,” and one of the final performers, Trey, had many singing along as he danced and played both the guitar and the harmonica. Standout performers Izzy Morejon and Matt Roberts, who sang and played guitar respectively, amazed the audience with their version of the Cat Stevens song “Don’t Be Shy” before improvising a blues song and taking suggestions from the audience.
      
All in all, the event was a well-orchestrated success, and there was a tangible sense of community amongst the students as they cheered on their classmates and caught up with their friends. If there was anything at all to be learned from the evening, it was that Honors Students aren’t just brilliant in the classroom – they’re talented too!