Raise the Roof, MHS’s student-organized benefit concert, recently held its second annual production for Hope House, an organization that assists homeless youth in the West Metro Area. The event features student performers from the Chamber Music Club, K-Pop Dance Club and Coffeehouse, showcasing a variety of artistic talents. Three students were interviewed about their experience performing at Raise the Roof.

Elise Pudwill, ‘23, and Anna Nodsle, ‘23, are members of the K-Pop Dance Club.

What does performing mean to you?

EP: It’s really fun, a great way to spend time with my friends doing something we are all really interested in and enjoy. It’s a great way to share our interests with other people, and it’s really enjoyable to get all dressed up and showcase what we’ve worked on for months.

What is your favorite part about performing?

EP: The costumes are very fun. We spend a lot of time on our dances so it’s really gratifying. Watching my friends perform is super cool as well. It’s very validating to have an audience. It’s very fun to be able to show off. Minnetonka is a very supportive environment towards the arts, and it’s just really fun to be able to perform some of my favorite groups’ music.

AN: [My favorite part is] sharing a part of pop culture that many Americans are not familiar with. There are many parts of K-Pop and dance that we can present in a new light. It’s a mesh of cultures, and it’s very cool to be able to share that. 

What do you enjoy the most about the Raise the Roof performance atmosphere?

EP: It’s cool because there’s such a fun blend of musical genres. So many talented people who have worked very hard for this performance, and it’s very fun to see them perform, there is also a very good cause as well.

AN: You get genre whiplash, and it’s fantastic. There’s an energy that comes from moving from classical music to rock to K-pop.

Anything else?

AN: I wish the best of luck to the next generation, we’re excited to see how Raise the roof works out in the future. 

EP: A lot of our dances are self taught, and we organize our section of the performance by ourselves. I’m very excited to share this with my friends, family and classmates.

Anika Lang, ‘23, is a member of the Chamber Music Club. 

What does performing mean to you?

I would say sharing the beauty of music. You can share all sorts of emotions through music. In general it’s just a lot of fun to perform, and it’s really fun to work up a piece with group members, because the performance is a culmination of hard work. It’s a manner of showing what we’ve done in a really neat way.

What is your favorite part about performing? 

It feels all official. In rehearsals you’re playing the piece but not in front of an audience, in a performance there is a stress level to it, but you still feel proud of what you’ve accomplished, and it’s fun to be able to play it through in front of people.

What do you enjoy the most about the Raise the Roof performance atmosphere?

It’s really fun that it’s almost entirely student led, so it feels like we all have a contribution to it, it feels collaborative. 

Anything else?

It’s a very unique experience because I would say it’s the only time I’ve played with not only classical musicians, but bands and K-pop dancers.

Kyra Martin, ‘24, is a member of Coffeehouse. 

What does performing mean to you?

I really love to express my emotions through singing, that’s kind of the outlet I use. Personally I think performing is an opportunity to show the progress I’ve made. I’ve been working on my voice for a while now, and it depends on what I’m performing in. A choir concert is showcasing what we’ve worked on, but for Hope House I wanted to do the best I could to encourage for later years and have fun with my band. Basically, performing is a way to try new things and showcase what I’ve been doing.

What is your favorite part about performing? 

Seeing the crowd react, such as at Raise the Roof. Our band was performing and the crowd was cheering and it felt like the crowd was engaged in what we were doing. Also feeling really strong on tougher parts. I hit a few higher notes and it was good to feel confident in them when I’m not having a good voice day. 

What do you enjoy the most about the Raise the Roof performance atmosphere?

The engaging audience was really fun to perform in front of. They were so supportive and feeling everything. I made a few lyrical mistakes. But I still felt supported with their energy. Plus I really like the blend of K-pop dance, and the Coffeehouse pop and indie, showcasing different kinds of music.  Also, the whole cause of youth homelessness, it’s a really cool and creative way of supporting this cause.

Anything else?

I loved it!