Sarah Rossman

Senior Sarah Rossman looks back fondly on her Coffeehouse experiences, stating that the beloved tradition played a large part in her decision to come to Hackley as a sophomore. “I saw videos on YouTube of past performances and I was blown away by the talent and dying to be part of them.”

She notes the relaxed and supportive environment of Coffeehouse as one of her favorite parts of the event. “It allows students to take risks and be themselves. I am always amazed by the talent and courage of my peers,” she said.

Sarah talks about the rewarding risk taking that she participated in this Fall, singing the vocally challenging song “I Dreamed A Dream,” from the Les Miserables soundtrack. “I’m not sure if it was my best performance, but it was definitely one of my favorites,” she said.

A passionate performer, Sarah is currently in chorus and plans to minor in Theatre in college.

For her final Coffeehouse, she was involved in multiple performances. She performed a solo, a large group piece, and a small group piece.

Gabe Pinkus

Senior Gabe Pinkus, an experienced Coffeehouse performer, has nothing but praise for the event. “I always looked forward to Coffeehouse…I just enjoy all the camaraderie that Coffeehouse incites in the Upper School community,” he said.

Like Sarah, Gabe also made his Coffeehouse debut sophomore year in the jazz band. “It was pretty brutal, but all the compliments I got despite that showed me how great Hackley Coffeehouse is,” he said.

This enthusiasm for Coffeehouse stems from his love of music and how it brings people together. “Music is a great way to connect with people, so it’s opened a bunch of doors for me in the ways of friendships, which is great.”

In addition to Coffeehouse, Gabe often gets together with friends who play instruments and plays for hours. His experience with spontaneous music showed in last year’s Spring Coffeehouse when he and then-senior Alex Pundyk had a guitar battle that “turned out to be epic.”

In his last Coffeehouse, Gabe was a part of Hackley’s House Band, a group of musicaly talented students who organize their own performances and play for any singers who request them.

Camille Schmidt

Another senior who has contributed greatly to Coffeehouse is Camille Schmidt. She expresses her love for the overall atmosphere Coffeehouse and the musical community at Hackley inspires, describing the genuine care and encouragement she has felt from her peers. “Performing at Coffeehouse has made me feel much more comfortable at Hackley – there’s a community of musicians that forms and it’s very lovely and supportive,” she said.

Though she may seem cool and collected on stage now, Camille was originally hesitant to do Coffeehouse. She sat her first ever Coffeehouse out, but after seeing the amazing performances, decided to sing with two upperclassmen in the next one. Her love of music has stayed strong throughout her time in the Upper School: “I don’t know how I could survive without it.” Camille writes songs on the piano, guitar, and ukulele as a way to relax and work through the stress that comes along with being a Hackley student. She plans to continue playing and to stay actively involved in music groups in college.

Xavier Carmona 

Xavier Carmona is one senior who has been a versatile Coffeehouse participant in his time at Hackley. Although he is not a singer per se, Xavier has performed in Coffeehouse on numerous occasions in many capacities. “Poetry is my passion, music just so happens to go hand in hand with it.”

Xavier became involved in Coffeehouse when a few of his upperclassmen friends urged him to try out when he was an underclassman. Xavier put some poems together to make a song and had fellow senior Austin Disher beatbox. Since then, Xavier has performed on numerous occasions, including reciting slam poetry. “[The performance] was eight minutes long, but it flew by because the audience was so enthusiastic.” Xavier  and Marisa Cedeño also hosted the 2013 Fall Coffeehouse together as a dynamic pair, entertaining many Hackley students and faculty that attended. Xavier’s many roles in Coffeehouse speak to his attitude about the event as a whole: “I like the fact that no matter what you do or who you are, everyone is your fan as soon as you get on stage.”

All photos by Waits May.