[ot-caption title=”The Torrejon brothers (Junior Alvaro and Freshman Rodrigo) perform their rendition of “Wagon Wheel”. (Via Elizabeth Pozzuoli, Junior)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/finalpfc.jpg”]

One of the most anticipated events to occur at Pine Crest, the Playing for Change concert, included a dozen students who took the stage this past Thursday night for the fourth annual performance. Playing for Change is a concert held once a year that allows students to appreciate each other’s talents in the fine arts while raising money a charitable cause. This year’s cause was the United Cerebral Palsy of Broward County, a special-needs preschool located in Fort Lauderdale. In the past, the concert has raised thousands of dollars. This year, Playing for Change raised over $1,700, and with the wonderful performances, the audience was blown away by the incredible talent that walks the halls of the Pine.

The notable and humorous host of PCTV, senior Brett Weiss, hosted the event for the second year in a row, along with fellow senior Kyle Israel. The two filled the room with laughs and fun before each performance. Former host Blake Hawthorne ’14, came to the performance to support his fellow peers and even participated in a few of the jokes. It was an incredible night for the Senior class; this hilarious duo hosted the show, over half of the performances included students from the Class of 2015, and the seniors had the highest attendance of all four grades.

Even with minor glitches involving the microphones, all of the musicians carried on beautifully and did not miss a beat. The night opened with Seniors Lindsay Sack and Nicole Swords performing Ingrid Michaelson’s “You and I,” accompanied by junior Jordan Bettencourt on the ukulele. Next, Senior Jordanna Brody sang a wonderful rendition of Beyonce’s “Irreplacable,” followed by Senior Alexa Bertrand performing a cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me.” Senior Sara Henry played the piano as she soulfully sang Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down.”

Another highlight of the night was the incredible Sarah Gale singing an acoustic mashup of “Fancy” and “No Diggity.” Not only did this junior put together a unique blend of the two songs on her own, but she also pulled off a difficult mashup of the two well-known and very complex raps from both songs.

Next up was a Senior trio of Cody Shamon on the guitar, Sean DiCarolis on the piano, and Lauren Baltimore on vocals. Sophomores Jodie Kahan and Henry Vrod covered Of Monsters and Men’s hit song, “Little Talks.”

Junior Elizabeth Pozzuoli gave the audience chills through her stunning cover of Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good”; her impressive vocal range allowed her to hit the high notes that Buble is known for, including the powerful run at the end of the song.

The Torrejon brothers, both dressed in classic country garb, teamed up to cover “Wagon Wheel.”

Carson Poltorack and Izzy Ercan, the dynamic senior duo who created their own violin-pop group called Four Strings Attached, blew audience members away with their rendition of “Wake Me Up,” which they arranged themselves. Alexis Kesselman and Julia Sabra exposed even more senior talent and creativity, both performing original songs.

The night ended with a group number including Cody Shamon, Sean Dicarolis, Matt Dardet, Ismail Ercan, Carson Poltorack, Sarah Gale, and Hunter Wasserman. The group performed a cover of Dave Matthew’s Band’s song, “Ants Marching”, putting a smile on Ms. Alexanderson’s face. These talented musicians put together a fun and upbeat performance that included a range of instruments instruments, from drums, to violins, to ukuleles. Each of the night’s performers came out onto the stage and sang along, bringing the night to a wonderful close.

Playing for Change not only managed to bring the Pine Crest community together while helping a great cause, but it also had an impact on the Homecoming spirit points as well. For every student that showed up, her grade received a point to help increase scores in the three-day long competition. The night was full of joy for both the talented performers and the impressed audience. This highly anticipated event blew audience members away, leaving the Pine Crest student body anxiously awaiting the follow up concert held during Multicultural Week in February.