By: Emma Dognin
On May 17 and 18, the Songwriters Club held the last original song showcase of the year. The showcase was bittersweet as twenty-seven members of the club will be graduating, making the performance their final goodbye. Some of these seniors include committee members Christian Sese, Evan Schwartz, Lauren Garcia, Matt Welling, Milla Telesmanic and Sabrina Mondschein, as well as members and performers Benny Rosas, Casey Flusser, Cassidy Khachetoorian, Cassandra Acuña-Hoppe, Daniel Soto, David Dunn, Elie Goldman, Gabe Contreras, Jonah Kovach, Jorge Espinoza, Karim Eldeib, Laura Hibbert, Mallerly Moreno, Marco Sese, Maria Ines Del Moral, Nathan DaSilva, Noah Walters, Shey Hernandez, Taryn Nicol, and Zoey Tutein.
The departure of the seniors will cause a loss of instrumentalists. Seniors Sese, Welling, Schwartz, Espinoza, Kovach, DaSilva and Goldman have played on many songs in showcases this year and are certainly key players for the club.
“I knew from the get-go how special the club was…I had been able to attend a show in eighth grade. The community and energy that had been present that night have not left in the years I’ve been in the club. It’s truly a gift to those in the school who love music and want an opportunity to perform. I know for myself I would not be able to pursue music in college without the push the club gave me during my freshmen year,” said Sese.
“I feel as if I definitely made a huge impact on the club as a whole and left my mark as a musician. The ending of my Songwriters Club career has left me with this lingering feeling of wanting to play music even more. I hope to find a similar environment to the songwriter's club in college,” said Espinoza.
Fortunately, there are underclassmen ready to take the place of the departing seniors, such as guitarist, Brian Guedes, bassist Nick Bucaj, and instrumentalist Angela Bediako who are going into junior year, as well as bassist Elena Bediako, percussionists Frankie Flora, Amara Woods, and Liam Crooks and guitarists Skyler Rosen, and instrumentalist Arin Dean, all who will be seniors next year, and of course, current freshman key player Stella Khachetoorian.
This showcase had a unique range of songs such as senior Karim Eldeib’s “Enty Fein,” an Arabic ballad duet which featured vocalist Laura Hibbert; Evan Schwartz’s “Jet” a futuristic progressive rock piece; and Matt Welling’s heartfelt ode to White Plains High School, "My Colors."
“I wrote this song (Enty Fein) last year and finalized it this year. It's about two people who really liked each other but who didn’t know how to tell each other they did, and unfortunately never got to be together,” said Eldeib.
Welling explained his song: “The best way I could put it is it’s about someone traveling and living on a road they’ve been on for quite some time, and when it’s time to make a turn, they’re not nervous or hesitant because they have everything they need to succeed, which includes their blood, aka family hence why I called it ‘My Colors’.”
Welling’s song wasn’t the only tribute song. Sophomore Saul Leon Huerta’s song "Thank you Unc," expressed gratitude to the graduating seniors.
“My song ‘Thank you Unc’ was about all my graduating senior friends or ‘uncs’; it was sort of a tribute…they were the ones who helped get me into writing hip hop and a source of heavy inspiration within my creative process,” said Huerta.
The show also featured a few firsts. Singer Mallerly Moreno performed her song "Orbit," a moody cosmic piece, playing the guitar for the first time, and percussionist Jonah Kovach performed his song "Dream Car," a lustful dad-rock ode to cars and women, as the singer for the first time.
Sadly, two performers were only able to play one of the performances, so their last showcase was cut short. Milla Telesmanic played her song "Slow Burn," and Sabrina Mondschien performed her song "Rust."
“I’m so fortunate to be able to express myself through music in Songwriters. This last showcase was such a memorable night, and I’m thankful that I had amazing musicians by my side. I will forever appreciate the love and energy I received from those in the club and in the audience...I can’t wait to come back in the fall to cheer on the next Songwriters showcase,” said Telesmanic.
“Songwriters Club was a place I came to every week and felt like I could truly leave all my problems at the door. Everyone’s so supportive of each other, and I never felt like I was being made fun of or looked down upon. Even when trying new instruments and new techniques, I never once felt self-conscious. I’m definitely going to miss this club next year, but I cannot wait to see how the incredible new committee will transform...this club,” said Mondschien.
The showcase ended on DND’s “Shoulda Coulda Woulda,” a fusion of vocals and rapping bars. It was the perfect way to conclude a musical era.
Author's Note: There were many other brilliant songs, but this article focused mostly on seniors!
Performances will soon be on YouTube @WPHSSongwriter'sClub
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