Coffeehouse is one of Hackley’s most popular events, and the first Coffeehouse of this year, on November 22, did not disappoint. Students from all Upper School grades came to showcase their musical talents, cheer on their peers, and have a good time. In a true example of Hackley community spirit in action, students, teachers, parents, Buildings and Grounds, and FLIK devoted countless hours working together to create a terrific evening for a packed house. Performing Arts Administrative Assistant Wade Tonken and history teacher Eliot Smith organized the program. The PAC was transformed to a coffeehouse atmosphere, complete with three stages, dozens of round tables, and a small buffet of snacks. The enthusiastic audience of mostly upper school students, including former students, as well as parents and teachers, enjoyed about two hours of music.
The Coffeehouse hosts, seniors Xavier Carmona and Marisa Cedeno, did a fantastic job of introducing acts and keeping the audience engaged between acts. The 23 Coffeehouse performances were incredible, including classical, jazz, pop, rock and alternative music, by artists from Taylor Swift, One Republic, and P!nk to Mozart and Chopin, as well as three original songs composed by the performers themselves. Performers came from all grades, with a notable presence of freshmen and seniors. Freshmen participated in ten acts, almost half of the total number and an increase from last year’s Coffeehouses. This is a promising sign for Coffeehouses in years to come.
Coffeehouse opened to roaring applause with a jazz number, “Movin Up To The Country” by Taj Mahal, performed by Mr. Tonken on guitar, Dr. Smith on piano, sophomore Josh Greenzeig on drums, and senior Luca Aloe on bass.
A new feature of this year’s Coffeehouse was the Hackley House Band, which was available to accompany acts, composed of Luca Aloe on bass, Josh Greenzeig on drums, and Gabe Pinkus on guitar, with others filling in when necessary. Several performers took advantage of all or part of the Band, including freshman Emily Dieffenbach, freshman Lila Wolfe, junior Jojo Miller, and sophomore Mackenzie Price.
Several performers took the stage and performed solo acts. Solo pianists included freshman Jackson Corrigan, freshman Clay Sullivan, junior Ross Hoch, and senior Gaby Oppenheim. Several multitalented students played guitar or piano while singing, including freshman Izzy Ampil, junior Lexi De Pol, junior Derek Rosenzweig, freshman Olivia Giacomo, and freshman Aurora Straus.
Coffeehouse also had no shortage of group acts, many augmented by the House Band, including sophomore Florry Arnold and Aurora Straus, sophomores Greg Chung and Alexis Arnold, freshman Carolyn Miller and junior Jojo Miller, junior Yuni Hahn and senior Camille Schmidt, seniors Gaby Mezzacappa and Laurel Cassidy, sophomore Isabella Yannuzzi and junior John Levine, juniors Natalie Gustin and Greer Levion, seniors Juliet Kim, Angela Mauri, and Philip Yoo, and Xavier Carmona, Camille Schmidt, senior Austin Disher, and junior Alexander Buckler.
Coffeehouse would not survive without the students who come to support and encourage their classmates. Although some performers believed they could have performed better, such as Jackson Corrigan who said his performance was, “Eh. Not that good,” the audience was amazed by the performers’ talents. Sophomore Levi DeMatteo commented, “I’m very impressed by the voices and talent of the people who I see in the hallways every day.” Former Hackley student Claudia Pou, who attended Coffeehouse to see and support her friends, said that it was “Great, as always.”
