Each week, the LHS chorus classes allow students to showcase their talent. Multiple students perform each week for the highly anticipated “Performance Friday.” This section will display each performance and include interviews from the very talented performers. Here is one of last week’s performances:

Lola Sokolskiy, Grade 10: From Waitress the Musical, my song was “She Used to Be Mine.” This song is about the lead, Jenna, who’s works in a bakery, but is suffering through an abusive relationship that eventually leads her to get pregnant. She tries to get out of the relationship with her out-of-this-world pies, but it didn’t do much. This song is her low point of the show, but she tries to get back up and regain her strength.

 Q: How did you get started in music? Who are your greatest musical influences?

A: I started in music because my mom brought me and my sibling to Vocal Production Studios, a vocal studio I still train under to this day. I’m not exactly sure who my greatest musical influences were when I was younger, but now, I would have definitely say Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sierra Boggess, and Ben Platt (although I have many, many more).

Q: Do you aspire to do anything with music in your future?

A: I’m not exactly sure. I’ve never seen myself having a career with music; I see myself more with business, film, that area. But who knows? Life is very unpredictable as we all saw in 2020.

Q: What is your favorite part about Performance Friday and/or performing in general?

A: I adore performing in a big crowd. I always feel like I am releasing a part of myself without feeling vulnerable. My favorite type of performance, however, is when I am in character and in costume. Once the lights hit and I’m wearing either a poorly accurate Edwardian ensemble or a beautiful princess gown, I just feel as if I become the character.

Q: Do you get nervous to perform in front of people, specifically your peers? How do you quell your nerves?

A: The majority of the time, while I consciously am not scared, my body feels like it’s in a tense moment and starts shaking. Thankfully, I’ve gotten out of that phase this year. What I do before a performance is breathe a few times slowly, usually in a slow rhythm. I try not to think of any problems I might face, I really try to empty my mind of negative thoughts, which helped me a lot, especially on Friday.

Q: What do you love most about music? Has music helped you in any way through the pandemic?

A: Music is one of the most important things in a human’s life. From a month-old baby to a 95-year-old man, music stays in our hearts and even changes us. During the pandemic, music is what really helped me be happy or be in tune with my emotions. Whether I was miserable or excited, there was always a song or a collection of songs to help be go through it.