BHS Talent Show Brings Out the Best in Students

The Brighton High school talent show arrived on March 22, a showcase for all of talented individuals. The exploded with everything from a Capella vocals to a Chinese yo-yo performance.     

The talent show opened with a new group in Brighton, the Testostertones, an all male a Capella group who performed many Disney classics, setting the tone for the night and winning the award for best vocal group in the process. The show kept rolling along with more great performances including a powerful solo by senior Cassi Mikat, who performed "Big White Room" by Jessie J, giving the crowd chills. She was followed by two sophomores, Katie Higgs and Mary Whitt, who performed cover songs as well.

Senior Rachel Cupples sang "Halo" by Beyonce. It was very moving and emotional. Emotional enough to win her the award for best unaccompanied vocal performance.

"It was a very thrilling experience. I've done the talent show three years in a row and this was by far, the best one yet," junior Colin Andersen said. Andersen performed an acoustic rendition of Yellowcard's "Empty Apartment".

The night kept on rolling, including junior Ash Anway's dance to "Zeds Dead," which captivated the audience and received big cheers. Anway won the award for best dance. Freshman Carly Mahnke made an impression on the audience by performing an original, humorous song with her friend, a fellow freshman, which gave the audience the most laughs of the entire evening.

Mahnke returned later with her ukulele and performed "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars, which won her the award for best solo with instrumentals. Junior Evan Bartle sang "In The End" by Linkin Park, and was definitely a huge crowd pleaser.

The big winner of the night was junior Maddie Peltier, who perfomed a solo a Capella version of "Gloomy Sunday" by Billie Holiday. Maddie is in choir, and it shone during her chillingly good performance. Sophomore Matt St. Germain was the MC of the night. His low voice provided the atmosphere for the show.

Senior Harrison Jones, president of exec board and coordinator for the talent show, was very pleased with the turnout.   

"The show was a great success with at least 500 people in attendance. It far exceeded my expectations. This is a bittersweet moment, having run the BHS Talent Show for the past three years it is great to end on a high note but I will certainly miss being able to organize this great event next year," Jones said.   

At the end of the evening, last year's winner for best vocal performance, Jessica Pratt, performed for the crowd. Pratt is now studying music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. The three teachers who chose the winners were John Gillis, Nathan Grabowski and Erica Lewis. They chose winners in six different categories, which are symbolic of how diverse BHS is with its talent. 

"I couldn't be prouder of the winners in each category, the amount of talent in our school is outstanding and it never ceases to amaze me who walks through the doors on audition day and blows us all away. We her at BHS are continuing a great tradition of respect for our students and the performing arts and I can only hope that it continues to grow in the future," Jones said.

Jake Trisch - BHS Times Entertainment Editor