It’s been three long years without Coffee House, and students have missed Seattle Prep’s dynamic celebration of the performing arts. Fortunately, it has returned in a colorful culmination, featuring the talents of inspiring dancers, singers, musicians, and performers.

On Friday, April 8^th, an enthusiastic and excited audience gathered in the Healy Theater, filling the rows of seats as they clutched the performance rosters and proudly pointed out their friends’ names in the lineup.

The showcase started off with Mrs. Boyle, singing “Forever Young,” prefaced by a heartfelt speech and a dedication to the graduating class of 2022, since it is sadly her last year as a Seattle Prep faculty member.

“Standing on the stage last Friday at Coffee House, I had a feeling of pure joy. I was so grateful to our Fine Arts Faculty in 2002 who [originally] created the Coffee House Forum for our talented students,” said Boyle.

Next was Window Choir with a beautiful rendition of “Take Me Home” led by choir director Mr. Weeks, Soon after was a lively duet of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by juniors Maya Lind and Porter Westby, and the crowd went wild.

The first dance act of the evening was by Ardaja Callandret, ’24, who brought excitement to the stage as she performed with a high-energy medley of songs, wowing the audience with sharp and stellar moves! Next up was PULSE with a school-themed number called “PULSE: The Musical!” Decked out in tennis skirts, vests, khakis, button-ups, and Converse, PULSE showed up with synchronization and sass, led by the sensational Mr. Jeffrey Pelayo from the Alumni Service Corps.

Juniors Finn Donahue, Charlie Cook, and Gabe Tanumihardja performed Entre Dos Aguas, with Donahue and Cook on guitar and Tanumihardja on the bongos. Their performance was especially impressive after Donahue told the crowd that the trio had only ten minutes of practice!

Next, Noah Martinez ’23, played “Étude Op. 10, No. 3” by Chopin on piano. Jeffrey Go ’23, played “Base City Street Blues” on piano, which was requested by the illustrious Coach Scott. He followed it up with a self-composed song called “Tact.” Next up was a duet of “Love is an Open Door” from the Disney film Frozen, performed by sophomores Lauren Teders and Felix Martinez.

After, seniors Andrew Gladnick and John Calvert, performed a Soviet folk song on violin and trumpet respectively. Later, Sophie Walters ’22, performed a serene and lovely rendition of “Bloom” by The Paper Kites. Another composer, senior Ian Orejana, took the stage with his catchy song “Hooked on You,” as he played an accompaniment on electric guitar. Later, Annabelle Deasy ’22 brought some retro flair when she sang “Gimme Gimme” from the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.

John Calvert ’22, made a reappearance, this time alongside Meier Eagan ’25, performing another Soviet song – “Waltz No. 2” by Dmitri Shostakovich.

“I am back again!” Calvert exclaimed.

The few precious hours of Coffee House were filled to the brim with creativity and artistic talent; a fitting experience to herald its return after a long three years. After such great performances, it’s assured that next year’s Coffee House will be equally as inspired and vibrant.