Each year, Cabaret Night is a display of creativity and excitement at LHS. This year’s annual event was held on January 23 at 7:00 PM in the high school cafeteria. Students, faculty, families, and community members were in attendance. Cabaret Night has long been an essential part of the Lynbrook music program. Junior David Soroka, who played with Ian and Erin Fishman at this year’s event said that it “exposes [student musicians] to a great environment that [they] don’t get from a concert.” Math teacher Mike Franklin called the evening “a fantastic event.”
Orchestra teacher Veronica Underhill was in charge of managing the event this year. The student performers were selected through auditions where they were judged by the Tri-M music honor society, Underhill, and band teacher Zachary Rifkind. The selected students prepared through various practices and a dress rehearsal prior to the event. The Friends of Lynbrook Music and LHS custodial staff helped decorate and transform the cafeteria to a cabaret space before the event.
According to freshman Christian Cueto, musicians gave “fantastic performances.” Aliye Simsek, Delia Kirkpatrick, Timothy Neri, Jackson Reiser, and Grayson Prestianni performed the classic ‘90s tunes “Creep” by Radiohead and “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters. Other performers played upbeat songs. Audra, Izabella, and Sofia Schoen performed “Island in the Sun” by Weezer, and Brandon Haviken, Delia Kirkpatrick, Timothy Neri, and Grayson Prestianni played “Run Run Rudolph” by Chuck Berry. Musicians sang fan favorites like “You’ll Be Back” from the Broadway play Hamilton, which was performed by Ryan Dugger. Others opted for instrumental variations on popular songs.
Cabaret Night offers music students a memorable experience that keeps audiences coming back year after year. According to Franklin,this event gives students “more freedom at what they are really good at.” Instead of being told what to play, students get to choose what their heart desires. According to Cueto, this freedom of choice leads to “a great reception amongst parents.” Franklin added, “For years I’ve been going to Cabaret Night. It’s such a fantastic event, and the kids are so talented.” Creative performances and musicianship amongst students has cemented Cabaret Night as a revered tradition within the LHS music department.
