West Ranch had its first annual Music Fest on Thursday, March 6, created and hosted by Wildcat choir teacher Mr. Kristofer Ornelas. From rock bands to choir performances, this festival presented a multitude of musical talents for the audience to enjoy.
“The idea was to create something like a music festival, to showcase groups, bands and artists who don’t normally get a chance to be showcased,” Mr. Ornelas explained. Members of both West Ranch band and orchestra had the opportunity to perform, displaying their diverse musical abilities.
Mr. Ornelas reminisced on his experience as a former West Ranch student: “We had a lot of events like Battle of the Bands and all kinds of fun stuff. It just seems like that stuff isn’t happening anymore and I think it would be cool to bring that back again.”
Students interested in participating in the festival submitted online auditions, open to any style or genre. Mr. Ornelas selected the acts and coordinated them to create the final show.
Audience members were served refreshments such as pizza, chips and cookies at the event. Spectators eagerly waited as students and faculty set up the festival.
By 7 p.m., Mr. Ornelas walked on to the stage to introduce the opening performance by West Ranch Choir. Performers sang a cover of “We Will Rock You” alongside freshman guitarist Jakob Artes, who expressed his motivations to participate in the festival, “For my love of music, and my love for performing for people.”
“Street by Street,” sung by sophomore Anayis Simonyan, was a cover adored by many. When asked if she would recommend auditioning for music fest next year, Simonyan replied, “Yes, I would. Everybody has been so sweet and complimentary, and I’ve had a lot of random people come up to me and talk about music, which is great.”
Then, freshman pianist Saptajit Das and freshman flutist Lailah Garnreiter Nash paired together for the tune “A River Flows 
in You” by Yurima. Das recommends auditioning because, “it’s truly an amazing experience to play on our school stage whether it be by yourself or with friends.”
More covers including “Picture You,” “Glimpse of Us,” “The Greatest Show” and others were performed throughout the event.
To conclude the Music Fest, five bands, NaadaMukthi, Cosmic Brain, Crazy Crew, Arsenal and Infinity Project played a wide range of songs.
Spanish teacher Mr. Helm, a member of Cosmic Brain, presented three songs: “You and Your Folks,” “Can You Get to That” and “Mommy What’s A Funkadelic.” Mr. Helm described, “The band practiced a lot, and right before the show we looked at each other, talked about what we are about to do, and had a big group hug,”
Mr. Helm’s musical journey began with his mother, who played show tunes for him, introduced him to the piano at a young age and constantly encouraged him to pursue music. With a musical background, his performance was one of the highlights of the night.
The metal rock band Infinity Project ended the night with covers of “The Poison” and “Helena,” receiving an erupting applause.
After the show, freshmen attendees Addison Molina and Donna Ju reflected on the event Ju shared, “My favorite performance was the one with the drums and the violin because it was really good and sounded very professional, I was very impressed.” Molina mentioned, “’Leu Feuilles Mortes’ was the most memorable performance because the singer had a skilled voice.”
The West Ranch Music Fest provided an opportunity for students outside established music programs to showcase their talents. Cats can look out for more opportunities to celebrate their passion for music through events throughout the year. In the meantime, Cats will wait for next year’s West Ranch’s Music Festival to be even better than the last.
