![“[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)
Cantilena, Camerata, Bel Canto, and Guys’ Gig Perform Music from Europe
The singers of Bel Canto strike poses as they sing “Kalinka”, a traditional Russian Folk song and “Nutcracker Jingles” by James Pierpont/Peter Tchaikovsky. The other two song they performed were “A ya po lugu”, a traditional Russian folk song, and “Sto mi e milo”, a traditional Macedonian folk song.
Taking the audience to the other side of the world, choral groups Cantilena, Camerata, Bel Canto, and Guys’ Gig performed music of Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern and Central Europe last night in the Nichols Auditorium.
Camerata opened the show with the songs “Bogoróditse Djévo” by Arvo Pärt and “The Sound of the Pipe and Drum” by Pierre Certon. It was followed by Bel Canto, directed by Jennah Somers.
Bel Canto’s performance was an immersive experience for the audience, as for part of its performance the group sang not on the stage but in the audience. The singers also incorporated dance moves and gestures into their performance. They were accompanied by junior Serena Wang on the piano.
Junior Simran Singh was pleasantly surprised by Bel Canto’s pieces and thought that “such high energy songs were a great addition to the concert.”
After Bel Canto came Guys’ Gig, who made the audience laugh when they sang “Tchaikovsky and Other Russians” in under 90 seconds among other amusing pieces. Guys’ Gig also continued its tradition of singing “Good Ol’ A Cappella” by Carter and Nevada and using music puns.
Cantilena concluded the evening with three Russian pieces and a Hungarian song. They sang the first song, “Let My Prayer Arise” by Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, with Camerata. Freshman Vedaad Shakib accompanied them on the piano. Camerata finished its performance with “Song of Good Cheer” by Mykola Leontovych, “Saucers” by Igor Stravinsky, and “Dancing Song” by Zoltán Kodály.
As the only senior in Guys’ Gig this year, Stephan Pellissier felt “a little lonely being the only senior.” However, he felt that although a lot of work went into the making the concert what it was, it was very successful.
“We’ve been preparing pieces for this concert since the school year started,” Simran said. “For many members of both groups, the Russian was especially hard to deal with, and singing in a difficult language was just one more thing we had to master in addition to learning how to work within the new year’s group.”
“I felt the concert went fabulously,” said sophomore Janet Lee, a member of Camerata. “I thought all the other groups were amazing! I was so impressed and generally overjoyed with the entire concert.”
The groups will also perform at the annual Holiday Show next month, Dec. 13.
Cheryl Liu is an assistant photo editor of TALON yearbook. She is a junior and has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her favorite...