Coffeehouse performances continue raising money for a cause
Senior Libby Lambert is a prominent figure in the Stillwater Choir Department, and is performing in Coffee House this winter. She is a member of the Stillwater Concert Choir, and performs in musicals and variety shows. She has sonorous vocals which fill any room, and leaves audiences in awe. Lambert wishes to continue singing through college and hopefully shape her passion for music into a career.
As the wind begins to bite and frost forms on the morning ground, Minnesotans prepare for winter. One winter tradition that has continued over many years is that of Coffee House performances hosted by the National Honor Society (NHS) at Stillwater Area High School.
Coffee House is a gathering of community members, from students to parents and to anyone who wishes to attend, who get together to watch student’s independent musical performances for a cause. This year it will be held at six and eight o’clock on Dec. 20 in the Black Box at the high school.
The proposed cause for this year was chosen by a National Honor Society vote a few weeks ago, and the money earned through ticket sales at the event will be given to a local family.
“The money raised will go to Trevor Eder-Zdechlik, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and his family. The cause was decided by the members of NHS. Anyone was able to submit a cause and at one of our meetings those people presented their causes and as a group we voted to donate the proceeds to Trevor,” said senior Nick Alm, a NHS Officer.
Students are very excited to contribute to their community through Coffee House.
“It’s a great way to help showcase the amazing talent at the high school and gets the community involved in that. Coffeehouse helps NHS to give back to the community by showing support for local families and corporations with all the proceeds we fundraise,” said junior Sophia Portelli, a Junior Officer of National Honor Society.
There will be many groups returning from last year’s Coffee House, as well as new faces who are looking forward to supporting the cause.
“I’m nervous because it’s my first time, and I don’t really know what to expect for the crowd. I’m excited to play though, because I like performing and love music, so I’m always excited to play,” said senior Andy Landsem, who will be playing in Coffee House for the first time this year.
Those who performed in years before are excited to get the chance to do it again.
“I really loved being in coffeehouse last year, and I’m equally excited for this year’s performance so I was one of the first people trying to sign up and audition,” said senior Theda Berry.
Coffee House performances have a very laid back aura, and are fun to attend for both community members and those performing.
“I am playing guitar with a group of friends performing the French jazz standard ‘la vie en rose’. It will be a long-winded song with lots of solos and jamming. I am also playing guitar for a cover of the song ‘Look What They’ve Done to My Song’,” said Landsem.
“This year the date got moved to Dec. 20, the day before winter break, so it might have an even more festive atmosphere than usual. I’m in a couple groups as well as a solo act and so I’m excited to perform in a variety of things. The act I’m probably most excited to perform is the trio I’m in with Nick Benish and Sam Schirvar, because it’s really up-beat and fun,” commented Berry about her upcoming performance.
But in addition to having fun, the performance means a lot because of its charitable aspect.
“I think for all the performers in Coffeehouse, having a cause behind it just makes every performance a bit more sincere. We’re performing in order to raise money for a good cause each time, not for our own gain,” said Berry.
Landsem likewise commented, “Having a cause behind Coffee House does affect my performance, because that makes the show a little more meaning full and have purpose, and meaning and purpose are always a good thing to have. Hopefully this will positively affect my performance instead of making me more nervous.”
“Having a cause behind coffeehouse continues to help tie the music together, it’s like a unity of musical talent that’s only strengthened when we’re all in it together,” said senior Lily Johnson.
These are the important things behind Coffee House, community, charity and coming together. In addition to that, the performances are a lot of fun to watch and the atmosphere of the get together is friendly and inviting. So if you’re free on the night of Dec. 20, feel free to stop by the Black Box behind the Stillwater High School Theater and join in to watch the high school’s best musical artists perform their acts.
savanna sylvis • Jan 7, 2014 at 4:28 am
This article does a really good job of explaining what coffee house is about. And there are many great interviews. I really liked the interview with Nick Alm, he really gives the readers a great insight about what the donations are going to and why.
Lexie Sherrick • Jan 6, 2014 at 8:59 pm
It really shows all the effort it took to make coffee house possible, and what the cause and donations go to. Many people think it’s just singing but this explains what coffee house is really about. Great article.
Kenzie Monson • Jan 4, 2014 at 3:55 am
This was really well written! The amount of interviews and information in this article was spectacular and the writing flowed very well. It was cool getting all of the different interviews with different people associated with the actual event! Great job!
Ahnika Kroll • Jan 2, 2014 at 6:13 pm
I love the introduction of the article. The description is absolutely amazing and I didn’t want to stop reading. I think the quotes say more than an explanation ever could, the honesty and compassion behind their words about dedicating their performances to the charity that Coffeehouse supports really makes me wish I attended! Great, great job, Sydney.
Kenz Hendrickson • Dec 18, 2013 at 2:47 am
I really enjoyed the lead to this article. It kind of brings you in to expect Coffee House to be a very warm, and inviting event. I loved the quotes in this article but I really think it would have made it a lot stronger if the author would have gotten a quote from one of the EZs. The link to Coffee House brought me to the school website, which said that Coffee house was last year. Other than that, this article was very interesting to read and gave a lot of information about coffee house I didn’t know!
Madison Engstrum • Dec 15, 2013 at 1:10 am
Great article. I loved how the writer interviewed the people from NHS “behind the scenes”, the people who will be performing and the people who will be performing for the first time!