Seated in purple couches under multicolored strings of lights and circling a makeshift stage, students gathered to witness one of the spring’s most exciting arts events: Coffeehouse.

Coffeehouse is an annual Kinkaid celebration in which any student can sign up to perform in front of a live student audience in the Student Center. This year, the event was held on March 26. The tech theatre crew set up sound, instruments, lights and a makeshift stage at the front of the center to give the artists space to perform.

Last year, Coffeehouse didn’t feature such a warm, tight-knit setting due to pandemic protocol, so the event was held on the football field as the audience watched from the bleachers.

“It was so much more intimate than last year, which I appreciated,” said Rivers Breeding, a senior. “I loved how many people came out to support the arts.”

Fine Arts Leadership Board members provided snacks and refreshments, ranging from coffee and hot chocolate to stylized cookies and lemon pound cake.

Breeding—a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur—consumed every type of coffee offered.

“I would say the decaf was my favorite,” Breeding said. “It was the perfect temperature. The flavor was strong, unfiltered and raw.”

While Breeding clearly enjoyed the array of coffee choices, sophomore Jack Denechaud enjoyed other snacks.

“At Coffeehouse, I preferred the cookies to anything else,” he said.

Though Denechaud indulged in the sugar-filled delights, he didn’t have much time at all to eat them, as he was performing with his band.

The band, named Monkey Mind and consisting of Denechaud and sophomores Evelyn Mach and Patrick Reilly, performed a cover of “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure. Denechud played the piano while Reilly played the guitar and Mach sang. 

“It was fun to just show off; I wanted to have fun,” Denechaud said.

While some first-time Coffeehouse performers may have found themselves wracked with nerves and stage fright, Denechaud approached the event as an opportunity to grow, have fun and share his talents with the Upper School. 

“It felt scary, but fun at the same time,” Denechaud said. “At the beginning, I was very nervous; however, by the end my confidence had grown and I lost myself in the moment.”

For those who couldn’t come to campus for the event, an Instagram livestream was held, the full recording of which was posted later to the Kinkaid Arts account. Sophomore Eshaan Mani expressed how glad he was to be able to attend Coffeehouse virtually. 

“I’m so glad I could tune in online and support all my peers who were performing, even though I couldn’t make it in person,” he said. “It was a very special experience, even through a screen.”