By Mary Chou P’23, Arts Backers Member
On February 18, the 26th annual Blue Whale Cafe amazed an appreciative audience in Orthwein Theater as 60 Upper School students and Upper School Librarian Colleen Williamson and her young son performed in 25 acts to raise $1,600 for the international ocean advocacy organization Oceana. Faculty leaders worked with the STUCO Arts Council to help performers share their music, magic tricks, and poetry. Arts Council students purposefully create a ‘tuned’ space with lighting, temperature, tones, and shapes to produce a warm and inviting atmosphere to connect the audience and performers.
Blue Whale Cafe was founded by the MICDS Environmental Club and Arts Council in 1995 as a student-led fundraising event to raise awareness of and protect large whale species being hunted to the brink of extinction. Proceeds support ocean life affected by oil spills, industrial manufacturing toxins, pesticides, inland pollution, mining, and land runoff.
Senior Arts Council Co-Head and main student organizer Annie Danforth ’22 said of her third year putting on Blue Whale, “There is a certain laid-back and supportive feel to Blue Whale that I have always loved. I was excited that Blue Whale was in-person like it was in 2020 and the years prior, so when I heard it would be in Orthwein Theater instead of STEM, I was really nervous that Blue Whale would lose that ‘feeling.’ I was worried it would feel a little disconnected, but it went over so well! It makes me feel proud to be a part of such a talented and supportive community. I especially loved the moments when the whole audience sang along and danced. It was so amazing to feel such a strong sense of community!”
Natalie Benoist ’25 sang with her sister Ashley Benoist ’23 and was also “surprised by the number of people who participated with the performers; that was something I really liked.” Her first Blue Whale performance inspired her, as well as several other performers, to want to join a band because “it seems like so much fun to be up on stage with your friends.”
Happy Phatak ’23, who also performed with her sister Narya Phatak ’26 in “The Happy Act,” said, “Being in Orthwein was very different as it made Blue Whale feel more like an actual show and less like background music while people chat in the library. It is always sweet to see others congratulate each other and commend each other on their performances. It never fails to be a very heartwarming experience. My family always does a sister act, and the show always builds upon our sisterly bond! I think the show does a wonderful job of bringing different people together.”
Arts Council Co-Head Peter Grace ’23, whose Pete Townshend-like epic guitar solo with his band, Beyond St. Louis, brought the audience to their feet, said, “I did not expect there to be such a large turnout in terms of people and performers. It was really great to have SIX bands play for an almost packed house. It made me want to play the guitar in more musical settings! I had forgotten what an expressive and powerful instrument it is until Blue Whale woke me up.”
The three emcees, Harrison Reed-Parker ’24 and Arts Council Co-Heads Ava Janes ’23 and Keller Goldstein ’23 kept the crowd entertained with waves of puns, flooding the audience with reminders to buy t-shirts and raffles to help save the oceans. Goldstein, who also sang in Rococo Realness with accompanist Ash Aranha ’23, said, “The community support is truly what makes Blue Whale possible! Through Blue Whale, I was able to connect with people I never thought I would. Taking pictures of all of the acts and getting to share my art that way with them as well as performing alongside them was truly so special to me.” Janes noted the extra challenge of the snowstorm the day before Blue Whale, “We lost many hours of preparation time that could’ve been highly beneficial. I expected the show not to turn out as well because of the loss; however, we had a breathtaking show with incredible MICDS artists! The supportive audience at Blue Whale made me feel so confident hosting and truly made every artist feel special once they walked onto that stage. Because of this, I would like to attempt to sing next year, for it’ll be my last year at MICDS.”
The appreciative audience was beyond supportive when performers made mistakes, showing compassion and shouting encouragement. All performers displayed courage to be on stage.
Spencer Ma ’22 performed two acts for his first appearance at Blue Whale and said, “I don’t think I would have ever wanted to sing on stage in a band if it was another year, and I was opposed to joining my friend Josh’s [Grossman ’22] act as a vocalist, but I thought ‘It’s my senior year, what do I have to lose?’ and decided to join. And in the end, it turned out really well.”
Fellow senior Akshara Sriram ’22, who sang accompanied by Amelia Markwell ’22, said, “It’s always really nerve-wracking to perform in front of your peers, family, friends, teachers, but everyone was always so supportive and kind, cheering all of us on always. As a singer, it’s always cool to experience other artists’ unique styles and visions. Every artist also inspires me in different ways. I admire the confidence and stage presence Aanya [Tiwari ’23] has every year. I love the way Jaida [Smith ’24] does her runs, and I hope to one day play an instrument as flawlessly as Spencer [Ma ’22]. I love being able to appreciate the art community at MICDS at Blue Whale each year and am going to miss it!”
Performances aside, fundraising is also an essential aspect of Blue Whale Cafe. Danforth shared, “The Arts Council votes on what organization we will donate to every year. This year, we chose Oceana because, for the past 20 years, Oceana has actively developed technologies and created dynamic solutions to one of Earth’s most pressing issues: oceanic pollution. This year we had to be a little more creative about how to go about fundraising because we weren’t able to sell food and drinks due to Blue Whale being in Orthwein Theater. So Arts Council collectively decided to create t-shirts for purchase to make up for the lost money. I am so proud of us for raising so much.”
Janes added, “Oceana is an incredible organization with the mission to support ocean life through new technology, education, and pollution reduction. The ocean is necessary for all aspects of life: economic, consumer, medical, recreational, and more. With how critical the sea is to our world, it only makes sense to work with Oceana.”
Goldstein shared a similar enthusiasm for Oceana, “Through my work with the Saint Louis Zoo and their ZOO ALIVE program, I have been able to work hand in hand with Oceana on various projects. Not only do they work on conservation, but also sustainability. They have a great team and truly incredible mentors.”
A whale-sized thank you to the faculty and students who helped make this event possible:
- Tiffany D’Addario – Upper School Fine Arts Teacher, Arts Council Faculty Sponsor & Production Manager
- Patrick Huber – Upper School Fine & Performing Arts Teacher & Production Manager
- Daniel Sadicario – Upper School English Teacher & Videographer
- Annie Danforth ’22 – Arts Council Co-Head & Event Organizer
- Peter Grace ’23 – Arts Council Co-Head & Performer
- Ava Janes ’23 – Arts Council Co-Head & Emcee
- Harrison Reed-Parker ’24 – Emcee
- Keller Goldstein ’23 – Arts Council Representative & Emcee
- Raina Compton ’23 – Lights
- Miles Rainwater ’23 & Grant Hylen ’23 – Audio Technicians
- AJ Turnell ’23 – Projections
- B. Wang ’24 – Follow Spot
A special shout-out goes to Coumba Diallo ’22 for designing the Blue Whale logo this year. Check out the artwork below!
And a tsunami of thanks to all performers who shared their art with our community. Always compassion, always courage, always Blue Whale!
Photos by Patrick Huber unless otherwise noted.