![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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)
Junior Certificate candidates voice their passion for music in annual solo recital
Piano candidate Ihita Mandal (11) plays Edvard Grieg’s Etude in F Minor, Op 73, No. 5 during this year’s Autumn Song. Ihita was the only piano candidate to perform today.
November 10, 2017
Autumn Song, the annual solo recital for junior Certificate candidates majoring in vocal music, musical theater and piano, invited students, faculty and family to enjoy a diverse performance of vocal and piano music today at 4 p.m. in the Nichols Auditorium.
While Autumn Song is typically called Winter Song and occurs in January, this year it was pushed forward and renamed to fit the season. Eight vocal, musical theater and piano Certificate candidates showcased the skills acquired from three years’ of Conservatory training. Each performed a two to three minute long piece, ranging from upbeat jazz songs to solemn études.
“It’s an experience for them to know what it’s like to be onstage by themselves,” vocal music teacher and mentor Susan Nace said. “Many people are used to singing in a choir or are used to being in a chorus in a musical, but not many have an opportunity to do a big solo by themselves, so that’s an opportunity for them.”
The junior performers included musical theater Certificate candidates Neha Premkumar, Ellie Lang-Ree, Abigail Wisdom and Emmy Huchley; piano candidate Ihita Mandal and vocal candidates Karli Sharp, Rithi Jayam and Kelsey Wu.
“It was really impressive how everyone else did because this was kind of the first time we’ve really seen each other perform, so it was super cool to see the amazing quality of their work,” Emmy said.
Pianists Jessica Jiang (10), Annabelle Perng (11), Max Lee (10), Karen Krause (11) and Leon Lu (11) accompanied the singers during their performances.
“I actually was kind of unprepared for the performance, so I was pretty nervous about how it would go, but I played almost everything right,” Max said. “Everyone else was just as good, if not better.”
Performers were asked to select a piece from their Certificate portfolios, the requirements of which differ depending on the focus area.
“For musical theater, they only have to have one song, so they just choose something, usually what their private teachers or their mentors give them,” Nace said. “For vocal people, they have to have certain kinds of songs for their portfolio, so that can include musical theater, but it needs to include some folk songs, some art songs—what I call art songs—and some of those need to be in certain genres and certain languages.”
Autumn Song is one of the required performances for junior Certificate candidates in vocal music and piano and is encouraged for musical theater candidates as an opportunity to fulfill a solo performance requirement. The next major recital for these candidates is Senior Showcase in their senior year in May.
