This winter’s Coffeehouse, sponsored by the Student Activities Board, showcased fresh faces and new talents last Friday. Excited and eager to watch their classmates perform, students packed into the Den and awaited the show.
Georgia Pelletier ’11 said, “[I like the coffeehouses] because they show aspects of people I would never really expect [to see]. I never knew a lot of those people sang or wrote poetry. It’s really interesting.”
The night began with an original poem by Christopher Blackwood ’12, which he submitted for Andover’s “What is Home?” Contest.
Blackwood gave meaning to each letter of the word “home,” describing his feelings of belonging.
Myracle McCoy ’14 followed with a soulful rendition of “Spoiled” by singer Joss Stone. Filled with smooth notes and deep emotions, McCoy’s gorgeous voice instantly hushed the crowd. Vanessa Shrestha ’14 said, “Myracle has the voice of an angel.”
Fatima Liaqat ’12 moved the audience by reading the poem she had written for the “What is Home?” contest. The poem described her constant struggle with finding and understanding what home was for her.
Liaqat’s poem began by detailing how her father was a judge who fought for justice, but unfortunately this act of service endangered her family’s safety.
Her father woke up one night, telling her they were leaving for the United States, dramatically changing her life after 13 years in Pakistan. Wherever she went, Liaqat felt she never fit in but soon realized that home stayed with her through the feelings and memories she carried.
The next act, a performance by David Myers ’12, brought some much needed comic relief. His acoustic folk songs wittily described his experiences with girls and brought laughter and shouts from the audience.
Chioma Ngwudo ’11 recited a poem she had written for her senior English class.
Filled with beautiful phrases, the poem described something always changing and blooming, like a young flower bud. However, as the poem became darker, the audience discovered that an underlying theme was the absence of life.
Switching back to musical performances, Mimi Tanski ’11 performed an original song.
Her sweet voice resonated to all corners of the Den. The slow, romantic ballad showcased her skills as a guitarist, singer and songwriter.
With a strong beat and rap-like articulation, Jay Reader ’13 recited a poem he submitted to the “What is Home?” contest.
He described how home is where the heart is, and how even though you may be lucky and live in a nice house, you don’t necessarily feel like you belong.
The next act featured musical duo Alice Hoffman ’13 and her friend Mario playing the guitar. Hoffman sang a heartfelt and beautiful rendition of “Running Around in My Dreams” by Tyrone Wells, her silky voice drawing all eyes toward her.
One of the highlights of the evening was dynamic duo Jeannine Anderson ’11 and David Tylinski ’12, who performed a powerful version of Radio Head’s “Like Spinning Plates.”
Tylinski strummed the electric guitar, complimented by Anderson’s strong vocals and piano part.
Next, Khalil Flemming ’12 read two of his unfinished poems, which he had combined to form the perfect love poem.
His honest attitude and true love for this mystery girl attracted much praise from the audience.
Pelletier said, “My favorite act was [Flemming’s] because I think any girl would be so happy to have that poem written about her.”
Performing an acoustic version of Katy Perry’s inspirational hit “Firework,” Tasmiah Ahmad ’14 impressed the audience with her strong vocals and amazing guitar skills. Audience members praised her skill by dubbing her “Katy Perry” for the rest of the evening.
“It’s a lot of fun to be up there, even though I was nervous at first. But once I got on stage I was really into it,” said Ahmad.
The next act was a poem titled “Women’s Pain” by Aniebiet Abasi ’11. A heated poem depicting women’s rights highlighted the great inferiority women are subjected to in a world ruled by men.
Jay Reader ’13 returned to the stage to perform another original poem entitled “Facebook.” The poem interestingly described how one social networking site has started to control each aspect of our lives.
Alec D’Alelio ’14 and Jack Elliott-Higgins ’14 performed the final act of the night, a rendition of “Slow Motion” by Third Eye Blind.
Though a slow song, its racy jokes still managed to entice the audience and became one of the evening’s highlights.
“We decided to perform this song because it had been one of our favorites for a while, so we were like, why not?” said D’Alelio and Elliott-Higgins in unison. The two ended the performance with laughter.
Emma Kahn ’14 said, “I think the coffeehouses are really cool because a bunch of people can sing and chill out and do what they like to do for an audience.”
