By Emily Feil
From Issue 3, 2023-2024; School News
Updated May 15, 2024
On Friday, April 5th, Tri-M hosted its annual Coffee House event in the Upper Commons. Coffee House is a tradition that has been upheld by the Long Beach High School music honor society, Tri-M for years. It is an intimate event featuring talented musicians, food, drinks, and a warm audience. This year, many standout performances made the night even more memorable. Kirsten Lilly, the president of Tri-M, facilitated the event seamlessly, uniquely introducing every artist to match their style of performance. It was my first time attending Coffee House, and I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity in music, as well as the excitement of the performers and audience alike.
The night opened with a duet by Sienna Hornberger and Isabella Alley who performed “Linger” by the Cranberries. With pretty harmonies and a soft tone, it was a calming way to start the evening. Following this performance was “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, sung by Megan Meyer and Reilly Sanfillipo, with Elliot Biern on guitar. True to the original tone of the song, accompanied by skillful guitar playing, this performance was one of my favorites of the night. Later, a rock version of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” was played by Sean, Nanichi, Elliot, and Sai. This unique take on a classic song was exciting and interesting, enhanced by the fluidity of the band.
Later in the night, a jazz piece, “Sweet Georgia Brown,” was played by Aaron Turbek, Nate White, Luke Morita, Michael Duckosrky, Alejandro Celis, and Ronan Morita. The number of performers created a layered and full-bodied song that sounded like it was played by professional musicians. After, “Vienna” was simultaneously played on the keyboard and sung by Josh Cohen, an impressive feat. He maintained a strong voice and the tempo of the song with a masterful understanding of the composition. Zach Kramer also played a guitar interlude. As a Fiona Apple fan, I may be a little biased, but “Paper Bag” sung by Reilly Sanfillipo and accompanied by Sophiana Arroyo was another standout performance for me. Reilly captured the Fiona Apple essence perfectly, and though the performance was composed of only two people, it sounded rich enough to be an entire band.
“Stronger Than Me” sung by Emily Chumpitaz was both effortless and impressive, as she captured the emotions and high notes of the song with ease. Other standout performances were “Lovesick” sung by Stephania with Katelyn on guitar, “Por Una Cabeza,” an orchestra performance, by Keyi Chen, Lilin Garfinkel, Katelyn Reyes, and Sophia Robinson, and “Cabinet Battle #1,” rapped by Grace McCarthy, Lily Evans, and Stephania Robinson.
The night highlighted some of our school’s most amazing performers and was an absolute pleasure to watch. Kirsten Lilly says, “I think that Coffee House is a great reflection of the warmth of the music community at Long Beach. I like that people can put together a piece the night of and still provide a great performance together.” To anyone who has not been to Coffee House, I highly recommend it. If only I could go again next year!