![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
While most students had already started February break, a few orchestra members stayed late on Friday night to watch the performance of cellist Sebastian Bäverstam, the third and final performer of the Harker Concert Series.
Bäverstam, a musician from the age of four, has a variety of impressive musical accomplishments: debuting in Carnegie Hall at 14, performing all around the globe, earning the 2006 Harvard Music Association Young Artist Award, and winning the 2009 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
Orchestra conductor Chris Florio strongly encouraged all cellists to attend his performance and the master class Bäverstam conducted beforehand.
“In the master class, Sebastian basically gave me and the other cellists some tips on how to improve quality and emotional sense and range of our playing skills,” Kayla Kim (9) said. “On an emotional range the quality of the music changes and it has a much more mature level.”
Like Kayla, cellist Matthew Huang (10) attended both the class and the performance.
“He opened me up to a whole new entire world of cello playing and understanding how to express myself,” Matthew said.
According to Matthew, another major incentive in attending the concert was the “crew workshop credits.” Most of the orchestra students who came helped usher or worked backstage.
Violinist Eugene Gil (10) chose to usher the show not only to receive Conservatory credit, but also to learn from Bäverstam’s playing.
“[The concert] might not help me as much as it would a cellist, but still, music is music and I just want to see his interpretation on these pieces,” Eugene said.
The universality of music inspired Jason Jeong (10), an oboist, to come as well. He has attended all three performances of this year’s concert series.
“There’s nothing better than developing your musical skills and listening to professionals at this high caliber perform,” he said. “It’s through performances like these that we develop musical abilities of our own.”
Bäverstam spent time after the performance to chat and take pictures with Upper School orchestra members.
“I hope [my performance] encourages the people who are playing music to keep playing and also to make sure that it stays something that you always try to find the joy in,” he said. “Don’t play because somebody tells you you have to, but just play because you know you want to and you know you will be happy that you kept it up.”
Although the 2012-2013 concert series has come to an end, the tradition launched in 2010 will continue next year with new artists.
