The Upper School hosted its annual multicultural talent show, dubbed HOSCARS, run by student council and Global Empowerment and Outreach (GEO) club in the gym today.

The show consisted of a first assembly dedicated to 19 student and teacher acts, showcasing individual talents including gymnastics, jazz music, and vocal performance, and group performances, including a teachers-only performance to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and appearances by the Upper School jazz band and lab band. HOSCARS also had emcees Efrey Noten (12) and Kenneth Zhang (12), who peppered the breaks between songs with witty banter that followed the chosen theme of “Star Wars.”

The show began with an introduction set to the Star Wars theme music and a written segue into the show projected on a screen. Decorative elements consisted of a red carpet leading from the entrances of the gym, golden streamers, balloons, and suit-clad student council members wielding lightsabers and wearing Star Wars masks. ASB President Arjun Goyal (12) shared his thoughts on preparation.

“It went really well. I was really surprised that we pulled it off. We [had been] planning since first semester,” he said. “It started with publicity and getting the word out, and, once we got all our acts, we auditioned them to make sure they were good for the show. Then, yesterday we did a full run-through of the show.”

Avinash Nayak (12), who sang as part of a group performance of “Snow (Hey Oh)” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, said he felt “exhilarated” to be onstage.

“I honestly felt satisfied, because I was able to perform music in my last year at Harker,” he said.

Awards were announced at a follow-up assembly at the end of the day. The “Han Solo” award for best solo performance went to Noa Sasson (9) for her poi routine, the Stormtrooper award for best group performance went to the teachers’ rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” the Imperial March award for best dance performance went to the Bollywood dance troupe, the Galaxy Far Far Away award for most creative performance went to Connie Li (12) and Jessica Chang (11)’s traditional Chinese dance routine, and the best overall award went to Varun Cherukuri (12) for his Michael Jackson impersonation.

Connie shared some of her own feelings about the win.

“I had a ton of fun doing it, and I knew that regardless of how much I might mess up on stage, I would regret it if I graduated without doing something ridiculous in front of the whole school,” she said.

HOSCARS remains a favorite event for many students.

“[My favorite part] was getting to see all the talent in the community, especially the teachers’ act,” audience member Madhu Karra (10) said.

Following the HOSCARS awards show was a surprise guest appearance from the Massachusetts’ Institute of Technology’s (MIT) male acappella group, the Logarhythms. They performed a wide variety of love songs, as well as their quintessential theme song, “We Are Super Logs.”

HOSCARS continues to be a tradition through the years of the Upper School.