On Saturday, Calvin’s Got Talent showcased a variety of student performances to a packed Covenant Fine Arts Center auditorium.
Pants Patrol opened the evening on an upbeat and (short shorts-clad) note, followed by sophomore Michael Lee’s piano “Ballade of Color.” The rest of the first act consisted of music from all genres: from junior Tom Voskull’s emotional take on Adele’s “Hometown Glory” to Grizzly Hills’ stirring Coldplay cover to uKnighted’s “Pitch Perfect”-inspired riff on “Since You’ve Been Gone.” Before intermission, the event’s hosts instructed attendees to text in a keyword to vote for their favorite performance of the night’s first half.
The second act expanded the night’s scope towards dance with impressive performances from junior Josh Maguire, XCrew and ODDiversity. Other highlights included a beautiful harp piece from sophomore Angela Dong and the onstage antics of the self-dubbed “Naughty Boys,” a trio of musicians.
“There was so much talent on that stage, and I loved being able to watch them thrive in front of such an excited, encouraging crowd,” said senior Laura Steele, a member of the Weekend Programming Team.
A second round of text voting produced the show’s top six: classical quartet Cellos on Fire, vocalist Kendra Walters and band Sons & Brothers from the first act; and dance group XCrew, singing trio Naughty Boys and Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) expert Josh Maguire from the second act.
After another flurry of texts, the Naughty Boys received third place, Cellos on Fire second place and Josh Maguire first place.
“I’ll remember the adrenaline rush of playing such an intense piece with really great friends,” said senior Andrew Plaisier of Cellos on Fire. Fellow senior cellist Joshua Ruiter noted the “amazing noise the crowd made when we finished.”
“[I]t was just deafening,” he said.
Josh Maguire, the 2016 Calvin’s Got Talent winner, also appreciated the audience’s support.
“I will always be thankful for every word of encouragement I received,” he reflected. An avid DDR player since childhood, Maguire first turned his skill into a performance for a high school talent show. His college friends encouraged him to once again bring his passion to the stage.
“I decided that if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right — [the right] outfit, the right song, and thanks to the amazing stage crew, even a live foot-feed,” he said. Even a knee injury the week before could not deter him from performing at — and eventually winning — Calvin’s Got Talent.
How does Maguire plan to spend his $300 grand prize?
“[P]robably knee surgery, another dance pad or a book or maybe two for next semester’s classes.”
