By Madhu Kaushik
Staff Writer

In an event new to Westford Academy,  junior Tommy Chen and senior Alex Markoski hosted a “White Box” performance Friday in the chorus room.

Excitement was high with about forty students in the audience. Those who were performers strummed on guitars or hummed to themselves before the show started. Others were eagerly anticipating the open-mic event where their friends would participate in showing off their talent to their peers. The White Box was an informal event, open to all students, which added to the comfortable atmosphere.

The performances opened with Chen playing “Julio” on the cello, while the audience cheered. He was followed by a number of skilled musicians playing on their instruments or singing.

WA’s own orchestra teacher Ken Culver played a short piece on his violin. Markoski also played “The Storm,” an original piece which he composed.

“It was really fun. It was really cool seeing people you never heard before play. And it was a good time,” said audience member Kayleigh McHugh.

The  musicians were encouraged by the audience, who clapped and supported the singers when they faltered by singing along to keep up the song.

A wide variety of music was played at the White Box, ranging from slow, melodious pieces on the piano, to a guitar-and-vocals duet, like “You and I,” performed by juniors Adam Peternell and Ally Mooney.

Aside from classical pieces, covers were performed of artists from OneRepublic, Bastille, and Avicii.

“It was a really friendly crowd,” said Mooney.

Overall the first White Box displayed an enormous amount of talent from WA’s own upcoming musicians. The veteran performers could not have been more welcoming to newcomers, with their foot-tapping, laughing, and support.

“I didn’t really have many events planned for the year, however as the new freshman class came in, I was thinking about how we could introduce them to the fine arts department and the arts aspect of WA. And I thought it’d be interesting to get an early part of the year music performance,” said Chen.

Students will await the next time for Westford Academy’s White Box event.