As Florida recovers from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Andover’s jazz band, The Repercussions, and the Phillips Academy Sustainability Coalition (PASC) have turned their talents into a lifeline for those affected by hosting a benefit concert. Organized by Florida native Ethan Liu ’26, the benefit concert hit especially close to home for Liu. He described how he views music as a form of solace and as a tool to rally donations for the recovery effort.
“The event was a fundraiser benefit concert for the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Milton. These hurricanes came to my home state of Florida and also ravaged throughout the southern United States. I wanted to use music as a form of connection and a way to raise awareness of this matter and also raise money for the Red Cross Foundation,” said Liu.
The Repercussions, a completely student-led jazz band, has been an ever-changing community. Brandon Fu ’25 explained how the band has shifted throughout his time at Andover and how it has continued to flourish despite many members graduating. He also describes Liu’s contribution to holding the concert and his hopes for the future.
“I co-founded the band my sophomore year, which was about two years ago, with a couple of my good friends, almost all of whom have graduated now. All of the band from sophomore year has now moved on, but I’ve kept it going the past two years. Ethan joined last year, and that guy is crazy. He brought this idea to us to have this concert, and we were really excited to do it. We were glad that we were able to make a difference even if it was a small one and sort of brighten people’s night a little bit,” said Fu.
Emily Wu ’25 reflected on the significance of the performance, noting that two of the pieces were original compositions by Liu himself. They practiced the pieces during jam sessions, incorporating the program into their daily activities. She also added that these pieces resonated with her personally, as her hometown is often affected by hurricanes as well.
“There were two originals today, and one of them was directly related to Florida. ‘Dancing Trees’ is inspired by the Floridian scenery. And this is the first time playing an original in a public context. As for preparing, we jammed together a lot as friends, so honestly, this took only like two hours to put together in total. My hometown in China also gets hit by hurricanes a lot, and that’s where my family and my direct relatives live. So I’ve wanted to do something like this, and I’m actually really happy that my friends have similar goals and aspirations,” said Wu.
In addition to enjoying the music, many attendees were also passionate about the climate, seeing the concert as an opportunity to express their remorse for the disaster’s victims and offer their support to those who were personally affected. Lisa de Boer ’26 stated that she attended the concert because of her interest in climate change and community engagement.
“I care a lot about the climate, and to Ethan, this concert is about the hurricane in Florida, and those are very closely linked to climate change. It’s great we could get some community engagement and think all together about issues in the current world. But also, in general, music at Andover is always great, and having this additional layer of meaning was great,” said de Boer.
Reflecting on the concert’s success, Liu expressed his deep gratitude for his bandmates. He was especially grateful they allowed him the opportunity to merge his passion for music with a cause close to his heart. He shared that the concert felt especially meaningful due to his personal connection to the cause, and he considered it an extraordinary success.
“I’m so lucky to have such talented, wonderful, and caring friends who are willing to play such beautiful music with me. My favorite part of this was just the performance itself. I never expected it to go so well, but because jazz music is so in the moment, something about the setting here and maybe the reason why we’re doing this concert just spoke to us in the moment. And it was one of the best concerts I’ve had,” said Liu.
