In a Valentines’ Day themed Coffehouse event, Prefect Council featured student musicians and comedians in its second open-mic and standup event this year on Feb. 24 in Chalmers East.
The event included original musical compositions and comedy routines, along with covers of famous songs. Prefect Council planned the coffeehouse around Valentine’s Day and served Starbucks coffee and bundt cakes at the event.
Senior Prefect Victor Suh ’25, who organized the coffeehouse, said the event is an opportunity for students to perform for their peers in a non-competitive environment.
“In a school ecosystem with inherent ties to competition, we intended coffeehouses to be a stress-free alternative to performative showcases, a talent show without the competition aspect.” Suh said.
Micah Parr ’25, who performed a drum solo, said he sees the event as a chance to experiment in front of a kind and welcoming audience.
“Coffeehouse provides an opportunity to artistically express yourself without judgment,” Parr said. “The coffeehouse regulars are some of the most supportive and caring people I have ever met. In front of that audience, I have failed guitar solos, read wild poems and performed crazy drum solos. At every corner, that audience never stopped believing in me. That’s something special.”
Christine Chung ’25, part of a jazz group that performed during the event, said the coffeehouse environment lends itself to jazz presentations.
“Since we didn’t have any formal rehearsals beforehand, the performance was purely about enjoying the music in the moment,” Chung said. “We were able to connect with each other and the audience and it felt natural and spontaneous, which is what jazz is all about.”
