Welcome back, GRHS, to another year of school, another year of the Glen Echo, and another year of performing music! If that wasn’t an indicator enough, this month’s piece, brought to you by me (you’re welcome), dives into the famous GRHS music department tradition that took place on this October 15th in the cafeteria. Drum roll please… oh, you saw it in the title. It’s Cabaret Night!
Cabaret Night is an annual event in which students get to sing in front of their peers and family. They choose a song and perform it, accompanied by themselves, a friend, or by one of our incredible music teachers, Ms. Lilikas and Mr. Helder. People can go to show off their singing on stage, support their friends who are performing, or even just to watch some real skill.
“[It’s] a wonderful showcase for student talent. It’s a good way for students to… present for the community something they’ve been working on,” said Mr. Carl Helder, a music teacher for high school and now middle school students this year. He’s been a huge figure in organizing the annual event ever since his very first year here in Glen Rock, when he was introduced to it by former teacher Phyllis Sneyers.
“She introduced that special event to me, and I immediately thought it was fantastic and got heavily involved with it,” he explained.
Mr. Helder continued the tradition after she left and as more teachers joined the event, like Ms. Lil! She’s equally instrumental in putting together Cabaret Night (see, I would say pun intended, but Mr. Helder said that himself and I couldn’t tell if he was making a pun or not. I’m just gonna leave it be), and thank goodness they did! For me especially, Cabaret Night is one of the most popular components of choir and one of the events I look forward to most in each school year.
Cabaret Night is also a fundraiser held by the GRHS music department to raise money for choir activities. The most notable one is the annual choir and jazz band trip that the music students go on every year. Hosted by Worldstrides, choir and band students get to perform in cities around the country and have tons of fun in amusement parks, restaurants, and other amazing experiences. Cabaret Night helps to reduce the cost of the trip for traveling students; every student who participates in the event (performing or setting it up) gets their share of the raised money, which goes towards their trip payment.
“It’s a part of the music department and a part of life here at Glen Rock,” Mr. Helder remarked. I certainly couldn’t agree more! I haven’t missed a Cabaret Night since I first joined choir in freshman year. Those who know me know I love to sing, and it’s one of the few events hosted by the school where I get to! But it’s also a chance to see all the singers and friends I love show off their skills and celebrate them. I know I will never be disappointed at Cabaret Night, and never will I be bored either! For every serious or sad song, there will be a silly one that gets the crowd laughing and me smiling so wide I can’t feel my face.
But enough about my feelings about it. Junior Selina Feng recently joined choir for the first time, and it’s safe to say, she loves it! Selina attended Cabaret Night for the first time on that wonderful Wednesday night, and she was blown away.
“First of all, the snacks are HEAVENLY,” she described (and I agree. Seriously. If you haven’t tried Ms. Lil’s brownies, you haven’t lived). “And then the second one, honestly it’s not even the songs. It’s the fact that everyone knows each other and is very supportive of each other. It’s really nice. It’s like a whole different… underground world that I suddenly explored.”
You can explore this whole new world too! (I HAD to do it. What kind of choir kid would I be if I didn’t make at least one song pun?) Next Cabaret Night, be sure to come out and support, or even sing! Ms. Lil and Mr. Helder hold auditions a week before to get a feel of your voice, and it helps you feel ready for the big night as well. Trust me, you won’t regret it AT ALL. Between the incredible singers around you, surprise performances from teachers, the emcees’ puns that are so corny that they’re really good, the homemade treats at the bake sale, and the amazing, funny, very supportive choir community, this event is easily a must-attend. You’ll see. As soon as the lights dim and the first notes drift through the air, there’s nowhere you’d rather be. Selina and I will be coming again for sure. Maybe we’ll see you there!
