By Gil Alon
Arts Reporter
On April 9, Newton South held its annual talent show, Tertulia, which gives students the chance to surprise their fellow students and teachers with their hidden musical and artistic talents.
This year’s talent show demonstrated a wide variety of performances, including covers of pop tunes, a Skype call from Israel, instrumental jazz performances, tap and lyrical dances, and stories told through interpretive movement. All these acts and many more were accompanied by student MCs.
For many students, this was the first time they had performed at Tertulia; for others it was the first time they had ever performed in front of a large crowd.
“This was my first time singing alone in front of people,” said senior Jeremy Knight, who sang “Danny Boy” accompanied by senior Nathan Reider on the piano. “This year I really wanted to outgrow my fear and I thought there would be no better way than to perform in Tertulia.”
Junior Anthony DeNitto was similarly anxious before his performance.
“I was kind of nervous before the first performance because Max and I had only ever performed [our act] in front of a few people,” said DeNitto, who performed “The Evolution of Love” with senior Max Cooper. “But once we started I was fine. Acting with someone like Max is so easy because you can just feed off each other.”
After the performance, Knight felt a combination of relief and accomplishment.
“It’s one of those situations where you feel like life can’t get any better,” Knight said. “I was constantly getting texts from friends and family congratulating me.
“I would say the one person that truly made me happier than ever was my father. He called me after and told me he listened to it five times and cried every single time. I’ve never seen my father cry in my life so that definitely hit me in the heart.”
Senior Jacob Rogers waited three years to perform at Tertulia.
“I’ve played at other school functions before, but never Tertulia,” Rogers said. “Looking back I wish I had. I guess it was just a lack of organization [that kept me from it]. I also never really had a solo act to perform until this year.”
Tertulia is a special event in which the whole school comes together. While the large audience may add an extra bit of pressure for the performers, the sense of community and school spirit is ultimately what makes the experience so special.
“Tertulia gives people an opportunity to show their classmates and teachers what they can do,” senior Michelle Gurvits said. “Surprising them is the best part. Half of the time, classmates and teachers don’t know that some performers have talent.”
But the performances are just a portion of what makes Tertulia so successful. The event also requires hosts for every block as well as student organizers who make sure the event runs smoothly.
“I would have to say performing [is easier] only because so many things can come up unexpectedly while MCing, like mics not working and pianos taking forever to set up,” DeNitto said. “But they are both equally fun.”
While many of the acts were chosen solely to display specific talents, several acts held special significance for the performers.
“My father and I have always been extremely into World War II history,” Knight said. “The first World War II movie I ever watched with him was one called Memphis Belle. In the movie, the army air corp held a dance for the airmen the night before their final mission. At that dance Harry Connick Jr. sang ‘Danny Boy.’ I fell in love with that song when I saw that.”
