By Tristan Benedict
Contributing Writer
The Music House recently hosted an open mic night, an opportunity for students to perform in an inviting space for their peers. Acts ranged from playing music to doing stand-up comedy. The event was free for both performers and audience members, and food and drinks were available inside the coffeehouse.
This was the first Stirling’s open mic of the semester, and many students were excited to play, including Charles Stehno (C’19).
“It was my first time playing the open mic night,” Stehno. “I enjoyed it.” Stehno’s piano music centers around improvising melodies. “I play improv songs that I kind of have made up before but I don’t really have written down. They’re just sort of ideas, and I just build on those ideas,” he noted.
The venue for the performances was Stirling’s porch. Students and a few parents, early arrivals for Family Weekend, filled up the main seating, leaving people to spill out onto the steps as well.
Before the first few performances, students signed up to play on a sheet of notebook paper. The most common performances were guitar playing and singing cover songs, but on occasion, a student read an original poem or short story. After signing their name, students were called to perform by the order of the names on the list.
Event organizer, Music House Manager, and Mountaintop Musicians President Fiona Charnow (C’19) said that “the open mic occurs about once a month.” She added that there are other music and listening opportunities such as AUX battles at the Ralston room, LGBTQ-produced music videos with the Q&A house, and Sewaneroo next semester, which is a student-produced music festival.