(Courtesy of Highlights)

Bassist Ixchel Puente Alzate plays alongside her band “Kaliko” at Coffee House.

Between the soft glow of fairy lights above the center of a makeshift stage, student musicians hosted this year’s rendition of their most beloved tradition: Coffee House. Hosted by Coral Gables Senior High School’s Music Program, the annual open-mic event made its return to Gables on Oct. 29 in the band room.

The event drew students of all grade levels and parents to watch Gables’ instrumentalists and singers perform songs of their choices. From solo performances, to duets and rock band performances, students showcased their talents while event organizers served coffee and baked goods, with all proceeds going directly toward supporting the school’s music program.

Prior to the show, all performers held weekly rehearsals to practice for their performances and ensure that they were prepared to take the stage on Wednesday. Rock bands held their practices every Friday and solo performers practiced on their own time after school, preparing the best show they could put on for their audience.

Beginning promptly at 3 p.m., the show started with two passionate and highly skilled pianists, junior Federico Galeazzi and sophomore Jose Rojas, who both did their own solo piano performances to start the show. Galeazzi performed two pieces; Mozart’s Sonata no. 3 K.281 in B-flat Major and Perigoso Tango by Ernesto Nazareth.

“I prepared the performance by focusing on the imagery I wanted to create with my playing and especially, as my piano teacher always says ‘create a dance feel’,” junior Galeazzi said.

After concluding his part of the show, Galeazzi passed the torch to his mentee Jose Rojas. Rojas closed off the pianist section of the show by playing Frederic Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in C# Minor Op. 66. Both pianists ensured that the show began with a performance that told a story and conveyed deep emotion through every note played. Galeazzi played the song with different dynamics and volume changes, while Rojas emphasized playing the song with subtlety.

“What drove me to perform [at Coffee House] was my love for the piano, because practicing the piano and preparing for the performance and actually performing is a process which I enjoy immensely, as it brings my hard work to the stage and diffuses my music. I prepared for the performance by practicing my pieces consistently and imagining myself performing as I practiced. Preparing myself… making sure that I could move the crowd with art is something that I practiced and meticulously worked on for months before performing,” sophomore Rojas said. 

As the show progressed, the performances began to shift genres. After a twenty minute setlist of classical music, the spotlight turned to the next segment of the evening which featured the jazz and pop showcase performed by alto singer Kenza Rachid and pianist Jiano Fuentes-Cruz where they sang a duet of Laufey’s jazz cover of “Misty” by Sarah Vaughan  and Best Part by H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar.

“Before performing for Coffee House, I was very excited to be performing again, but very nervous. At last years’ Coffee House, I let my nerves get the best of me, causing me to underperform. This left a very bad feeling with me and it has always lingered with me during any performance. It is like a little voice in my head itching for me to mess up. But nonetheless, this year I exceeded my expectations. I worked through my anxiety and expressed all my hard work through my voice,” sophomore Rachid said.

After their set, Fuentes-Cruz improvised a song entirely from scratch with some help from the audience. Using random words shouted out by the audience, he composed lyrics on the spot which was an original way to keep the crowd entertained until the intermission.

After the performers on the stage took a bow, it was time for a 35 minute intermission, where students and parents were able to help themselves to the concession stands and buy treats and coffee, or simply spend some time socializing with their friends before the next few groups of performers went up on stage.

When the intermission concluded, junior Gianna Molina’s solo set began, where she performed three songs. She played a well known song, “Kiss me” by Sixpence None The Richer, “I wouldn’t mind” by he is we and “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia. Audience members turned on the flashlights of their phones and waved their hands in support of Molina, easing her nerves and making her set less overwhelming to perform.

The last section of the show were four of Gables’ bands; Atheryss, Kaliko, Static Memoir and a currently unnamed band. All four bands performed their sets which lasted about 10 minutes each and ranged from indie to alternative rock and Spanish rock. Some notable songs that the bands performed were “Sparks” by Coldplay and a rock song in Spanish called “Es por ti”. Another popular song performed from Static Memoir was “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore, performed by Kenza Rachid. Throughout these sets, audience members were not hesitant to show their support to performers by waving their hands to the music, while some even started to dance to the music or record.

As the evening came to a close, performers gathered up into a group and gave their final bows of the night, marking a close on this year’s Coffee House.  Band and Choir director Mr. Canales came up to the stage to give his thanks to the crowd for their undivided attention and endless support for the music program. With a roar of cheers and applauses, musicians left the stage with a feeling of satisfaction in their performance and lingering anticipation for their upcoming shows and concerts coming soon.