Students dazzle sharing talents at Cookin’ Cabaret

By Chiupong Huang ‘23

On May 25 in the All-Purpose Room, a long and dazzling array of performing arts talents exhibited by W+H staff and Upper School students was put on full display during the 14th annual Cookin’ Cabaret. Audience members were happily treated to a night of food and entertainment as student and staff performers relished in expressing their musical and creative passions.

The night featured no shortage of highlights ranging from an original poetry reading touching on the beauty of human the experience from Upper School Latin teacher Nick Pellulo’s to a stunning rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain by Raiya Patel ’24 on voice, Naischa Puri ’23 on voice, David Flatau-Jones ’23 on acoustic guitar, Charlie Silver ’24 on electric guitar, and Luke Tan ’24 on percussion. Luke remarked on his and his peers’ performances saying, “It was a truly rewarding experience to be able to see all the hard work we’ve been putting in as individual students and musicians but also as a collective Wardlaw+Hartridge music community.”

The cabaret also capped off an unrelentingly busy yet bright year in the performing arts department with six concerts in six weeks, a feat only made possible by a community of those working in and behind the scenes, including performers and teachers, crew, Sage Dining staff, and the support of the entire W+H community.

For seniors, the night was particularly bittersweet as for many it marked the end of a long and cherished career within W+H’s music and arts programs. Ms. Sharon Byrne, head of the Performing Arts Department said, “It’s bittersweet seeing and hearing our seniors perform for the last time, but I’m just so incredibly proud of everybody.”