Uma Raja

Piano junior Stefan Wan dresses as Carl Fredricksen while playing the main theme from Up during the Oct. 9 performance of Impromptu. “We have the walker with the balloons, and Stefan Wan actually arranged it himself,” piano junior Natalie Shteiman, who performed the piece with Wan, said.

The cymbals crash in harmony with the piano as the “Mission Impossible” theme swells. Meanwhile, the keyboardist performs the piece they have been practicing for weeks.

On Oct. 8-10, the piano department hosted the popular Impromptu concert. The concert took place in the Black Box Theater and featured performers from all grade levels displaying a passion for all genres of music.

“[My favorite part of Impromptu is] the fact that we can play what we love to hear,” piano junior Natalie Shteiman said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be classical musical music, Impromptu is truly something for everybody, there’s something you can find that you’ll love.”

Pieces included everything from “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from “Mulan,” the theme song from “Parks and Recreation,” and music from “The Legend of Zelda.” However, the unique song choices are not the only thing that makes Impromptu stand out. The show involves cooperation from multiple majors, as drums, string instruments, and even saxophones are often incorporated in the show. Many performers wear elaborate costumes that match their piece, for instance, piano junior Stefan Wan and Shteiman dressed like Carl and Ellie from “Up,“ complete with a walker full of colorful balloons.

“I just spoke with my friends, we explored with some ideas, we wanted to do something people would really relate to,” Shteiman said. “We wanted to incorporate the costumes, so we have the walker with the balloons.”

A lot of preparation went into the show. To participate in Impromptu, students had to audition.

“We had to audition for the show in front of three judges, then we were told about a week later if we got in,” piano junior Christina Harbaugh said.

Impromptu was packed, and tickets sold out several days in advance. Students also created humorous advertisements for the event and aired the promotional videos on the morning announcements. The entire Black Box was decorated with Christmas lights, and students created a slideshow full of images or clips to play in the background during each performer’s piano piece, like an image of Studio Ghibli art during a song from “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

“Impromptu was amazing this year, although it’s easy to get nervous. We had a full audience, so we eventually forgot about that,” Harbaugh said. “Once you get into the show and start performing it’s really fun.”

Contributed by Lexi Marcellino