Senior SING! Secures Back-to-Back Victory; SoFresh Makes History

Senior SING! joins together for their last victory song. *Photo: Tiffany Park*

By SAFOWANA ISLAM and SOPHIA WONG

Tiffany Dong and SiQing Lin contributed to this article.

The anxious silence in Midwood’s auditorium was broken by deafening cheers when it was announced that the Class of 2024 took home the SING! victory for the second year in a row on January 21.

“I was in shock and awe when they announced our group,” said Senior Commissioner Becca Greenberg. “Eliana [Velednitsky, the senior commissioner] and I were extremely stressed after the show-stopping performance from the juniors.”

Velednitskiy said, “Everyone in Senior SING! has shown incredible dedication and effort. I am beyond proud of everything, and the show would be nothing without the amazing cast I worked with. Their passion for this production cannot be overstated.”

“The quality of the [seniors’] performance was beyond anything that I could hope for,” said Overall Commissioner Maheen Ghuman ‘24. “They made use of all the things available to them, which is what made their performance so entertaining to watch. I could very clearly see the effort, and our legacy will definitely live on with the back-to-back win.”

For the 77th SING! production, hundreds of students from each grade level worked together in making stories, songs, and artwork come to life to represent the theme of “Good vs. Evil,” which was picked by one of the overall commissioners, Elise Badmaev ‘24.

The seniors’ play, “Butterfly Effect,” was centered around a company that regulates the balance between good and bad forces in the world. When a new intern, Nova, accidentally intervenes in the real world, it is up to her to amend that mistake before the world ends up in destruction.

The senior writing crew, directed by Christina Tsimenis and Ren Dzyuba, were honored by receiving the Best Plot award.

“I was so proud of the writing crew because all of our hard work had paid off,” said Tsimenis. “It was a huge honor to win best script three years in a row. We were so excited.”

“Although I first believed this theme would be difficult to work with,” said Velednitskiy, “I knew that the talented writing crew was going to make a beautiful script.”

One of the writers, Cassandra Rivera ‘24, said, “The SING! script is literally my baby. Taking home the best script with the same people I’ve been writing with since SoFresh is honestly such a full circle moment for us. I couldn’t be happier about it.”

The senior chorus, who took home Best Chorus, had many songs that were crowd favorites such as “Not Strong Enough” by Boygenius and “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey.

Madison Due ‘24, one of the chorus directors, said, “It felt really exciting to see that the effort Trey [Woodbine, the other chorus director], our chorus, and I put in was well worth it.”

“It was the last year of our high school lives,” said Woodbine. “We had to end it off with a bang.”

Rivera, who is also part of the chorus, said, “You could see how much everyone wanted to be there and have fun in the way they performed.”

Serena Li ‘25 said, “Honestly, the senior chorus was the best part of the entire show. They were just so amazing and sang all my favorite songs.”

The seniors also were given the award for Best Props and Best Stage Movement.

Art Director Karen Kong ‘24 said, “With the dedication and drive of my art crew, we were really proud to win best props after spending weeks working really hard on them.”

Kayla Chan ‘24, the sound director, said, “They [the stage crew] deserve it so much. They were a part of the show in ways that many people probably didn't see.”

The seniors weren’t the only ones who made history this year. SoFresh also took home four awards, the most they’ve ever won.

SoFresh produced “The Heist,” a play about an evil spy organization, B.A.D., who plots to steal the Mask of King Tut from his tomb in Cairo but has to battle a rival organization, Team Lucis, who tries to stop their burglary.

Three team members from Team B.A.D and Team Lucis each wore corresponding black and white outfits to display the contrast between the good and evil.

“It’s really amazing to see SoFresh have so much talent,” said Greenberg. “I know that in the future there will be a lot of wins for that group.”

Commissioner Susan Zhang ‘26 said, “I am so, so happy for SoFresh this year. They did amazing, and, since we’ve been told over and over that we have the least chance of winning anything, we did not expect [the awards]. It was a total surprise to us.”

Luke Cooper ‘26, who played Lucis, one of the leads, received the Best Actor award.

“I thank everyone for that,” said Cooper. “There were so many great actors up there in every show. It was an amazing experience, constantly being surrounded by amazing and talented people all working together to try to break the SoFresh drought.”

Dance Director Leyla Hamidova ‘26 also took home the Best Dancer award.

Hamidova said, “A rush of excitement and pride comes with such an achievement. The support and love from everyone involved made it such a rewarding experience.”

“I really enjoyed the dance segments the freshmen had in place,” said Seth Shaheed-Mythril ‘24, a member of the school’s film team.

The SoFresh art crew also were awarded the Best Banners and Best Flats awards.

“Now that the show is over, I am still in awe of winning,” said Nori Robinson ‘26, one of the art directors. “When I was walking home, my adrenaline was taking me over, and I had such a hard time sleeping that night.”

Another art director, Benny Ngouekem ‘26, said, “Working with a group of people to make large scale art projects, although intimidating at the time, made my days a lot more interesting and fulfilling. I’d be proud of what my crew’s hands managed to lay on our canvases even if we didn’t win.”

Lastly, the juniors put on a play called “Government Gambit,” which was about a game show where three lower-class citizens, Ophelia Evans, Fleur Walton, and Nora Westwood, are given the opportunity to become rich. However, along the way, they realize that glorious riches aren’t as good as they seem.

Due said, “The juniors were amazing; it felt like I was at an actual musical. Everyone showed up to showcase their talent, and they delivered for sure.”

Badmaev said, “The juniors just kept impressing me with their dedication and the fire they had in their eyes because they were hungry for that win.”

Despite not winning Best Chorus, their singing feats did not go unnoticed. They were able to take home the Best Victory Song for “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey.

“I think that every group did an amazing job with their victory song,” said Chorus Director Molly Kantor ‘25. “Writing the lyrics and performing the song is such a fun process, and every group has their own twist.”

Chorus Director Kamora Monroe ‘25, who sang “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson in a duet with Kantor, was awarded Best Singer. Monroe also delivered a compelling performance as Cora’s mother with “So Big, So Small” from the musical “Dear Evan Hansen.”

“I was filled with gratitude and love for everyone who helped me to get to that point,” said Monroe. “When I initially heard my name, I thought that there had to be someone else with the same name as me. I was just overtaken with pride and elated.”

Kantor said, “I loved singing with Kamora. The dancers also did an amazing job and helped bring the whole scene to life.”

The juniors’ musical awards didn’t just extend to singing, as they were given the title of Best Band.

Band Director Matthew Jaconetti ‘25 said, “We all worked so hard, so we were proud of each other. Jonathan Aransalam is the best drummer I ever played with, Wislanda Laguerre is the best pianist I could ask for, and Leah Portnoy was the best co-director.”

“I am incredibly proud of the junior band for winning Best Band back-to-back,” said Junior Commissioner Darany Sin. “I know how dedicated they’ve been throughout the entire SING! process.”

Each grade would not have been able to put on their best performance without investing a vast amount of time and energy into it, which was tough this year as the SING! date was a month earlier than expected.

The show date “required us to make some sacrifices, coming in on weekends, and staying late,” said Ghuman. “With the day of the show creeping closer and closer, the nerves and adrenaline help to bring the show together.”

“To be in SING! is not only a huge commitment, but an enormous test of character,” said Monroe. “It tests how far you’re willing to go when it comes to creating the best performance you possibly can.”

But, as always, the long hours of practice also brought a blessing in that they allowed each crew to create stronger friendships.

Velednitskiy said, “Being with the same people for the past three years and seeing all of the groups come together with their incredible talent for one final time solidified that SING! wasn’t just a production, but truly the formation of a family.”

“There are a lot of talented people that I know now who I hadn't known before,” said Ghuman. “In the hallways, we wave to each other, and in classes, we sit and talk. It creates a sense of belonging.”

The community built in SING! has left a lasting mark on its members.

“The performance definitely exceeded my expectations,” said Jocelyn Yee ’25, one of the audience members. “It was my first time attending a SING! performance, so I didn’t know what to expect, but it was very fun and I’m very satisfied with my experience.”

“I feel as if the outcome was very much deserved considering the creativity of the Seniors’ storyline, but everyone shined in their own ways – the juniors with their acting and art, and SoFresh with their dancing,” added Hoshi Rodriguez ‘25.

“My biggest hope for next year’s SING! is for all of the grades to keep the same passion they showed this year,” said Velednitskiy. “With patience, commitment, and keeping the passion that led everyone to join SING! in the first place, a beautiful show is produced.”