On February 2, 2019 Ripon High’s third annual talent show was a huge success. Hosted by Mia Benzinger and Mr. Ramirez, there were over twenty acts which consisted of singing, dancing, and even bagpipe-playing!

Some of the first performers of the night were Aiko DeArth and Darius Rubianes. With Rubianes on the piano and DeArth on the violin, they played “Phantom of the Opera” by Lloyd Webber.

“I wanted to do the talent show because Darius and I really wanted to do a duet together,” DeArth said. “Also I did it last year and it was really fun.”

The audience was also impressed by the fifth act in the show, Jocelyn Baliel. She sang “When the Party is Over” by Billie Eilish. Despite the large crowd, Baliel has been singing since she was three, and wasn’t nervous at all.

“I was proud to get up there and do what I love the most–to sing,” Baliel said. “I love connecting with others while singing and helping them feel the emotions through the song, like reading a story.”

Another singer, Katelyn Cardoza, sang “House of Gold” by 21 Pilots, and played the song on her ukulele. Cardoza has been playing ukulele for only 3 months, and yet she encouraged a huge round of applause from the audience.

“I would say that I was very nervous and excited. I have never played in front of more than 10 people at most so this was all very new, but I was excited to show a new skill I had picked up,” Cardoza stated.

The last, and possibly one of the most diverse performances of the night was Colin Speed. He played “Itchy Fingers” on the bagpipes by Rocking the Baby.

“I decided to do the talent show because I just thought ‘“Why not?”’ and it turned out pretty good,” Speed said. “My favorite part of performing was the adrenaline rush I had afterwards.”

All in all, the third annual show was a big hit. Ripon High is full of talent, and we can’t wait to see next year’s show.

“Everyone’s there to support you and cheer you on…” DeArth stated. “We were just really excited to pull everything off and have fun with it.”