Open Mic Night
May 24, 2023
The BCCHS Music Department hosted its first Open Mic Night on April 14 in the basement of Billings Central Catholic High School. Over the past year, the music director, Branden Martinez, has been planning and building a space for performances of all kinds. In December, he hosted the school’s play, The Audition, in his DIY black box theater.
“The excitement and anticipation for its potential success was the motivating factor to actually do it,” Martinez said. “After starting to build the mini theater, I had the idea to make a small performance venue. And where should that start? An Open Mic Night!”
“It was really fun,” said freshman Joanne Ragsdale, a performer that night. “It was a really good opportunity and it showed that a lot of people have hidden talents.” The Open Mic Night was a huge success with 70 out of the 80 available seats being filled and nine acts performing. The event lasted an hour and a half.
One popular act was junior Aedan Hraban and his brothers on the piano, recorder, and bass recorder. Sophomore Emirie Hastings, who attended the event, said, “It was unlike anything I had seen before. He’s [Hraban] a man of many talents!”
While the music department was only able to host one Open Mic Night this year, Martinez’s plan is to hold them more frequently next year and start earlier to give students more opportunities to show their talents.
