Rock ensemble concludes for the year in stunning finale

Byline photo of Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya

Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya, Staff Writer

June 4, 2026

Seniors Stella Brannen and Graham Lowe harmonizing during "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison" by My Chemical Romance.

Seniors Stella Brannen and Graham Lowe harmonizing during “You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison” by My Chemical Romance.

Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya

Senior Bruno Sanzotti poses with his guitar, encouraging audience participation during the opening song, “Tribute” by Tenacious D. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Senior Sean Mally playing bass during “Fake It” by Seether. Reflecting on the concert, Mally said, “Everyone in general made very minimal mistakes [during the concert]. If there were mistakes, they were very unnoticeable or they were easily played off.” (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Junior Audrey Kelso sings solo during “Here Comes Your Man” by The Pixies. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Junior Aaron Turner was spontaneously brought onstage to sing “Afterlife” by A7X with Junior Declan McGinnis. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Sophomore Josh Marcinkevage spotlighted while playing guitar. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Sophomore Renee Buda, in her second year of rock ensemble, sang “Vampire Empire” by Big Thief. “I remember being less nervous than I thought I would be. Last year, we had a concert in the performing arts center, and I liked how close people were [this time]…I think it was just a really cool concert,” Buda said. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Sophomore Emma Larrabee performing “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton, accompanied by student jazz musicians. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Senior Graham Lowe played guitar for a majority of the songs during the concert. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Senior Stella Brannen and Senior Sully Stilson sing “Edward 40hands” by Mom Jeans. “I had never done Rock Ensemble before, so it was a big step out of my comfort zone and it was really rewarding to just be on stage,” said Brannen. “It was [also] cool because we have a really [great] dynamic on stage. So it just makes it a lot less nerve-wracking singing with him.” she added. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Senior Nick Markza dramatically poses before singing “My Reminescence” by Seether. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Senior Nick Marzka, Senior Bruno Sanzotti and Senior Sully Stilson playing off of one another during “Punk Rocky” by A$AP Rocky. “It was the second to last performance of my senior year,” Stilson remarked. “It was really fun, I was glad to be there and play music with people,” he added. (Finn Kurpiel Wakamiya)

Donate to Lions' Digest

$625

$550

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of State College Area High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.