If you paid attention to the posters hanging on the walls around the school, you’ve almost certainly seen a flier for Open Mic Night. Although the event usually takes place in the band room, the Holiday Open Mic was hosted at a senior Charlie Perdue’s house on Mason Terrace. As I approached the house, I immediately noticed the lights framing the windows and hanging from the roof. A sign posted on the front door advertised the holiday celebration.

At 6:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the event started on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, the room was full of chatter. Students eager to take the stage passed around a piece of paper on which they could sign up to perform. There were a variety of options for performances: the mic, the grand piano and the sparkly red drum set were open to anyone to perform, creating an atmosphere where people could feel comfortable performing, experimenting and trying new things.

The night opened with a rendition of Henry Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses.” Perdue played piano, while sophomore Mimi Aspi played saxophone by lamplight. Perdue’s hands danced across the keyboard, falling from high notes to low notes. The piano reminded me of rain while the loud drum conjured an image of thunder as the whole house vibrated to the beat.

As the night went on, more and more students arrived. When the bean bags, chairs, benches and couch had been filled, people began sitting on the floor or standing in the next room over.

Sophomore Julian Steinbergh played “Blackbird” by the Beatles on acoustic guitar. His fingers glided across the strings, making an almost scratchy sound I couldn’t tell why I liked, but I couldn’t get enough of.

The time between performances was just about as long as the performances themselves, in some cases longer. Performers scampered to find extra microphones or music stands or adjust amps. For me, this was a testament to the coziness of the performance. Unlike the Winter Concert or Revisions, the event seemed to take the pressure off of the musicians, who seemed relaxed and at home on the stage.

In keeping the holiday theme, a number of students performed holiday songs including a hard-rock version of “Deck the Halls” from sophomores Julian Steinbergh and Mateo Adam, as well as a violin rendition of “Jingle Bells” from sophomore Noa Suk The hosting family was Jewish and, seeing as it was the third night of Hanukkah, the performances paused around 8:30 for a menorah lighting. Those who knew the words sang along with the blessings and those who were in Camarata sang the Hanukkah song Ma’oz Tzur.

In a combination I never would have imagined, Suk and Aspi played a duet of violin and saxophone. I had never seen it before, but I loved the way the deep, rich sound of the saxophone clashed with the high tones of the violin. At times, the two played in sync; at other times the two went in their own directions, harmonizing.

The Music Collective performed a number of jazz pieces including “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” by Cannonball Adderley. Each member of the group of brass, woodwind, strings and percussion took a solo. While any one musician soloed, many of the others danced along with the music.

Everyone was encouraged to perform, but no one was pressured into it. The entire audience cheered for every performance. When someone made a mistake, they paused for a second, the crowd cheered and then they kept going. Nobody cared about messing up, it was all about having fun.

Some students, such as senior Katya Sacharow who sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You” by Olivia Newton-John, only performed once. Others performed two, three, four, even five or more times, each time with a different group or friend. Oftentimes, people improvised their performances entirely. On a few occasions performers took out their phones to use the flashlights to read music as they went.

Around 9:30, the Music Collective took the stage for one last performance: a song by Duke Ellington. Students danced, tapped their feet and shook their heads back and forth to the beat. When they finished, the audience began chanting “encore.” Heeding the crowd’s wishes, they played one more song to end the night.

As I joined the line of students shuffling out the door, a number of people I’d briefly introduced myself to almost three hours beforehand said goodbye to me by name. They patted me on the shoulder and encouraged me to come again.