On May 24, the annual Fine Arts Extravaganza was held at Brookfield Central. Throughout the day, classes were able to sign up and attend different artistic events throughout the school. These ranged from watching the choir and bands perform, drawing chalk murals outside, and viewing art exhibits designed by other students. Despite worries about inclement weather and incoming tornadoes, the day carried on as planned, with an altered schedule due to the assembly.
The day culminated in an assembly in the main gym, with several musical acts performing for the entire student body. As students walked in, the BC Jazz 1 band played Out of the Doghouse by Erik Morales, featuring every member with their own solo. Once everyone was seated, Roger Miller (‘26) and Jackson King (‘26) went to take the microphone as the MCs of the evening, announcing every event in the assembly. The assembly started with a video prepared by the BC Orchestra, featuring several ensembles performing well-known music. Unfortunately, the orchestra was unable to attend the assembly this year and play a piece together, due to the trip to Alaska they are taking as of writing this article.
After that, the BC Chamber Choir sang the song Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, a jazzy and fresh acapella arrangement as the kids say. Once the choir had finished, the art rewards for the year were announced. Many students won several awards and nominations, such as Tanvi Bahradwaj (‘24), Katie Foley (‘24), Jennifer Yu (‘24), and many more. After the art showcase, the student band JABRODESEPH consisting of Hayden Lessiter (‘24) on lead vocals and accordion, James Anewenter-Cano (‘24) on guitar and backing vocals, and Adyn Hamann (‘24) on drumset, performed their original song The Water is Dry for the audience. A captivating performance, it really got the crowd hyped and “crunk”.
After JABRODESEPH, Tanvi went around and showcased her tailoring abilities to a round of applause from all around. Following this, the metal band Widowed Altars performed Paranoid by Black Sabbath. This band was made up of Zach Stanley (‘24) on vocals, Ryan Pifher (‘24) on guitar, Pascal De La Torre (‘25) on bass guitar, and Jackson Kerr (‘24) on drumset. This was a great performance with Ryan in particular absolutely shredding on his guitar.
Afterward, as the assembly was winding down and time was running short, the BC Jazz 1 Band returned to play Whiplash by Hank Levy. Featuring Elizabeth Feist (‘26) on alto sax, Jackson Kerr on trombone, and Caden Hoffman (‘24) on drumset, this song was an exhilarating and engaging jazz piece that was met with an eruption of applause upon completion. As the student body left, the jazz band continued on playing Leap Frog by Les Brown.
The Fine Arts Extravaganza festival for 2024 was a rousing success, with the musical acts performed in the assembly no doubt being a highlight of the year.
