The Fourth Annual Sights and Sounds Showcase was held on Friday, April 13, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (JCC), at which UC High staff and students performed for a night of entertainment and music to benefit UC High’s various music programs.
The event featured the Latin Jazz band “Rhumba y Soul” in which UC High Music Director Brandon Corenman plays, according to the UC High website. Corenman also organized the event (sandiegounified.org).
Corenman explained the variety of styles and genres of performances displayed at the showcase: “[English Teacher Aaron] Pores played the electric guitar and sang. We had classical music with the violin, flute, and cello. We had people doing vocal solo covers and originals. We had a couple of people doing dance solos, a tap dance, and then a modern composition.”
According to Corenman, there was a cocktail hour for adults which started at six. Then the music started at about seven. There was a dessert intermission and silent auction, part of the way through.
“I’m in a band called The Water Stealers with [Sophomore]Micaela Giaconi, [Senior]Joey Nourani, and[Junior] Thomas Littleford. We performed two originals, and then we did a Jimi Hendrix cover,” said Junior Max Meeder.
Sophomore Micaela Giaconi from The Water Stealers said, “I was so excited. We had only been playing together for a few months and the showcase was our first gig together.”
Corenman said, “I have a salsa band. I’m a trumpet player. Our first show actually was at the first showcase that we did a few years ago; they keep asking us to come back and play as part of the evening. As music director, I’m always on the podium conducting and I don’t always get a chance to play that much, so that band is my musical outlet.”
According to Corenman, besides being an artistic outlet for UC High staff and students, the Sights and Sounds Showcase is also used as a fundraiser. “Part of it is ticket sales, and part of it is the silent auction. We had gift packages that we put together because different businesses had graciously donated these items for us to auction off,” said Corenman.
According to the UC High Music Department website, the cost of a General Admission ticket was 30 dollars until March 22, when the price went to 35 dollars. For staff a part of the San Diego Unified School District, the price was 20 dollars, and for students ages 5 to 20 it was 13 dollars (uchsmusic.com).