Solebury School
Coffee House is Everything but a Place at Solebury
Coffee House is Everything but a Place at Solebury
当你向人们问起索莱伯里咖啡馆(Coffee House)时，他们的脸都亮了起来. It’s not a cafe or hangout place on campus where people go to get their favorite beverages, Coffee House is so much more. Coffee House has nothing to do with coffee. Indeed, it shares the ambiance of fellowship in a modern coffee house where people commune but serves a different purpose—to support and uplift a performer’s artistic talent. “咖啡屋”是一个学生协调的演出活动，每年举办三次. It has spoken word, dance, vocal stylings, bands, ensembles, 任何一个学生想要与社区分享的才能. 就像享受一杯热饮，咖啡馆是心灵的慰藉.
The History
Coffee House started at Solebury in 1990 or 1991. 在询问社区起源的历史时, 三个名字很快进入讨论:史蒂夫·布托，P ' 27, Scott Eckstein P’22 ’25, and Peter Ammirati ’82.
Steve Buteux P’27, Associate Head of School, started working at Solebury in the fall of 1991 and remembered Coffee House as an event that quickly became a tradition. 这是一个“以学生为中心”的活动，由他们策划、制作和宣传. He described Coffee House as “a cocoon of comfort” that has become something that parents and alums have come to support over the years. He shared, “You certainly hear a lot of older kids and alums talk about Coffee House being the first time they felt validation for something they found really important to them artistically.”
Scott Eckstein P’22 ’25, Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, 将咖啡馆描述为每个人展示才华的“开放麦克风之夜”, including staff and faculty. 自1993年加入学校以来，斯科特几乎没有错过任何一场演出. He first performed at Coffee House in 1999, 他在那里弹吉他，唱歌，他形容为“平庸”的表演. He admitted to sounding much better on guitar when accompanying a student who could sing well. His most memorable performance was singing an Indigo Girls song with Anna Vangala Jones ’03, Lauren Smerkanich ’04, MacKenzie Pennington ’04, and Ashleigh Linkenheimer ’04. Scott also recalled the story of Elana Green ’04 performing a fire-juggling act to the amazement of attendees.
Peter Ammirati ’82, English and History Teacher, 从索伯里毕业后，他在咖啡馆工作过. 他记得一开始是一个“自由形式”的活动，一直持续到晚上, 后来它变成了一个更正式的展示场所. “Coffee House is one of the only arenas for students to show their talents as performers of rock, hip hop, folk, jazz, and so on,” shared Peter. The draw for him is the consistent positive spirit of acceptance and support for all of the performers. Peter also recalled special performances by singer-songwriter Sean Scolnick ’99, better known as "Langhorne Slim并称赞咖啡馆为肖恩的早期表演提供了观众.
Coffee House Today
It is debatable exactly when Coffee House started, 但它仍然是索伯里最受关注的事件之一. 咖啡馆仍然是由学生经营的，由两到三个学生主持. The most recent production of Coffee House had 17 acts and was hosted by Karys Rattray ’26 and Kaz Jahanbini ’25. They worked together on previous Solebury Theater Collective (STC) projects and enjoyed collaborating. 卡兹指出，这是他来到索伯里以来演出人数最多的一次. They coordinated the show and created an impressive opener by performing a choreographed dance to Freakum Dress by Beyoncé (Kaz’s biggest muse). “对我来说，说我想和beyonc
Karys is no stranger to performing at Solebury, but this was her first Coffee House performance. “咖啡馆是我感受到同龄人的爱和支持的最重要的时刻, teachers, and random people,” she shared. “I would also describe Coffee House as a talent show, but I think the difference is the artists who perform for the love of it and want to share their craft with peers and their teachers and the community as a whole.”
该剧还包括STC演员的小品表演和令人感觉良好的大结局. “We have a dear friend, Lovena, 谁是一个不可否认的不可思议的歌手，有很多舞台表演,” shared Kaz. Lovena Agyei ’25 gave a captivating performance that was accompanied by Josh Eckstein ’25 on guitar.
Recent Coffee House Artists
“像咖啡馆这样的传统在索伯里很重要. People get to step on stage and share something they are passionate about with the community, whether poetry, dance, music, or playing instruments. It is an open, accepting space where people can try new things, make mistakes, and still get applause for putting themselves out there.”
– Lovena Agyei ’25
在去索伯里之前，洛维娜第一次在咖啡馆演出. She performed with her sister Elizabeth Agyei ’21 during the pandemic version of Coffee House. Lovena has been singing in Coffee House since her freshman year and has only missed one show. Songs in her repertoire include Symphony by Zara Larsson, the Fugees version of Killing Me Softly, and Unthinkable and If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys.
Sydney Greeley ’25 performed in the fall of 2023 and remembers the feeling of singing at Coffee House. “I like performing for and with my peers in a low-stress and extremely supportive environment,” she shared. Sydney sang Gold Dust Woman by Fleetwood Mac and acted in a skit by the STC.
“I like Coffee House because it provides an outlet for performers to put on something personal, no matter how experienced they are,” shared Nathaniel Ferenchak ’25, who sang Rhythm Section Want Ad 他们可能是巨人在最近的咖啡馆.
Other performances included spoken word and a ballet. 26岁的Mischa Lokhandwala选择阅读他的一首老诗《韦德娱乐app下载地址》. This poem was originally written for someone to recite at an abortion rights rally he was unable to attend. He wanted the poem to elaborate on the ways that women, girls, 女性化的人被社会视为“软弱”或“顺从”. “One of the main reasons that I love Coffee House is the way it brings our community together,” he shared, remembering his first Coffee House. “我被人们对每个表演者的友好和支持所震惊. 即使我觉得自己的表现不够好, so many kind people made me feel empowered. 我认为咖啡馆是最能代表我们社区的活动之一.”
“I adore the amazing audience and the tremendous support and love they give to the performers.”
——夏洛特·伍德沃德27岁，柴可夫斯基《韦德娱乐苹果手机版下载》芭蕾舞表演
Alumni Reflections of Coffee House
Many of our Solebury artists who performed at Coffee House have continued to pursue professional music careers. We interviewed James Booth ’11 and Clover Stieve ’14 to discuss their Coffee House experience and careers. James has a band called, James Booth & The Return，他们全年都在当地和全国各地演出. Their latest single titled The Devil In Me was released earlier this year. 克洛弗是一位充满激情的词曲作者和独立音乐家. She teaches songwriting and art classes through her Soulstice School for Creativity when she is not performing.
What is your fondest memory of Coffee House?
James: 我认为我能在每个咖啡馆表演的地方都很特别. 每次它打滚的时候空气中就会有电. People flexing their performance muscles or go out on a limb to try something daring and new. If it didn't work, 观众中的每一个人都会支持和感激你的努力, never making a big deal about it. But if it was good, the response was incredible. 我在cafe House表演了很多次，经历了这两种极端.
Clover: I have so many fond memories of Coffee House. 我的第一家咖啡馆是在餐厅，我在那里表演 In My Life by The Beatles with my dear friend Eliot. It was so sweet, and everyone was so supportive! 一个特别的记忆是当一些法国交换学生来访时, and some of them were musicians. 就在cafe House演出的前几天，我们决定演出 The Scientist by Coldplay together. How cool is it that Coffee House allowed us to connect, make art, and share it with others? Amazing!
What did you do for Coffee House?
James: I played guitar and sang. My memory on the timeline is a bit hazy. I'm not sure what came first, 在菲利斯·鲁宾·阿诺德的合唱团里唱歌，或者在《韦德娱乐app下载地址》里唱歌. 其中一次是我第一次在索莱伯里的观众面前唱歌. My very first performance at Coffee House was one of the "Hell of an effort, champ" moments. I did this very shaky Cream cover. The second time around, I just came out with great determination and went for it with one of my originals ("The Wanderer"), 这是我第一次感受到热情的接待.
Clover: I performed my favorite cover songs and eventually started performing my own original music.
《韦德娱乐苹果手机版下载》是如何影响你追求音乐的决定的?
James: Coffee House was important for me for a lot of reasons. 我来到索莱伯里的时候，90年代文化的最后残余正面临死亡的威胁, 千禧一代正处于掌控局面的风口浪尖. 我把《韦德娱乐苹果手机版下载》看作是比我年长、比我聪明的孩子培养出来的东西. 我不知道在我大四的时候是否有学生和我有同样的感受. One thing that never changed was the no judgment rule. It was okay to come in and fall flat on your face; nobody would drag you about it or make you feel ashamed. At its very best, it was a place to come in and shine. 这是一个分享的机会，一个没有翅膀飞翔的机会. Coffee House was the ultimate release for kids like me. Coffee House (and, in addition, the annual Christmas concerts that Phyllis would hold where we could have individual solo performances) was the place where I could come up for air and, for just one moment, 忘掉其他的一切，专注于眼前的表现. It made me want to make life out of moments like those. 即使在我参加了所有的演出和我周围的人群之后, it has never felt quite like it did at Coffee House. I suppose nothing ever feels like it did in high school.
要了解更多关于James Booth的信息或听他的音乐，请查看他的频道:
Website: http://jamesboothandthereturn.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JamesBoothAndTheReturn/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jamesfritzbooth/
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/artist/6psfubJto7gIeJJaQwL2Xl
Apple Music: http://music.apple.com/us/artist/james-booth/77685587
Clover: It was important for me to have a space like that to express myself and safely push myself outside of my comfort zone. 我在咖啡馆的经历影响了我追求音乐的决定. 它让我能够演唱我的第一首歌并获得实时反馈. 它帮助我建立了在众人面前表现非常脆弱的自信, and I am forever grateful.
想了解更多关于Clover或听她的音乐，请查看她的频道:
Website: http://www.cloveronthemic.com/
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/artist/6DAReYeYUzQh9YOSqvPYyo?si=lRVoawZFS0i2Twtv5bSFtw
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg_I4Iqr05kHr1nK8dTZLXg
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cloveronthemic/
30多年来，咖啡馆一直是索莱伯里一项非常特殊的活动. Over the years, it has showcased budding artists and been the background for legendary performances. 它在不断发展，但有一件事是不变的——每个人都属于并被庆祝.
Check Solebury School’s calendar for the next Coffee House event.
