“Camas Got Talent,” the annual Camas High School (CHS) talent show, will take place on Friday, April 12. Every year, CHS students, each with unique talents and skills, showcase what makes them, and CHS as a whole, special.

Lucy Farland

Lucy Farland, a senior at CHS, and last year’s Camas Got Talent’s People’s Choice Award winner, plans to play piano and sing “Summertime” by George Gershwin, in a more bluesy, soulful style than the original composition for this year’s show. 

Farland has been playing piano since the third grade and has also been singing through voice lessons throughout middle school and partition in church and school choirs since she was little. Farland, who most regularly performs choral or operatic music, is particularly excited about this year’s talent show as her song choice will allow her to display a side to her voice that her peers do not usually see. 

“I think it’s important as singers and musicians that we stay diverse and well rounded and we don’t just dedicate ourselves to one genre or one area of study,” Farland said.

Next year, Farland will continue her musical studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, as a vocal performance major with a focus on musical education. Farland hopes to perform in operas as well as become either a choir director or private vocal teacher after graduation. 

Addi Wilderman

CHS sophomore Addi Wilderman, who plays bass in the band “Banal”, will also perform in this year’s talent show. Wilderman first started playing music in sixth grade when she joined her middle school band as an alto saxophone player, an instrument she still plays now in the CHS band. Inspired by her grandfather who has played the double bass (as well as piano) for nearly sixty years now, Wilderman took up the bass herself three years ago. After being gifted the instrument for Christmas, Wilderman taught herself to play through YouTube videos and other online resources. 

Wilderman and her band will be playing “Plump” by Hole on Friday, the first time she will have ever performed the bass for an audience before. She is particularly excited to get to play a song that both she and all her bandmates enjoy. 

“I feel like it’s kinda like the essence of all of our musical inspirations and tastes. I feel like it’s the perfect, or close to perfect, combination of the music that we all like.” 

Despite this excitement, however, she is also a bit nervous. 

“I’m also nervous ’cause when you’re playing sax you’re just there and you can’t really see anyone ’cause you’re just looking at your music the whole time,” Wilderman said. “When you’re playing from memory, it’s like, ‘Am I gonna mess up?’.”

Ellie Williams

CHS junior Ellie Williams first began playing guitar in sixth grade after she was encouraged by her ukulele club teacher to take it up. Williams soon became obsessed and would spend all her time outside of school trying to teach herself the instrument. Williams also loves singing and took voice lessons in middle school and is now a part of the CHS Choir. 

“It makes me feel very fulfilled to be able to go home after a long day of school and play guitar and sing songs that I like,” Williams said.

For the talent show, Williams will be performing “Mayonaise” by The Smashing Pumpkins, alongside fellow junior, Henry Falvo. Although she is always nervous about these kinds of things, she is still very excited for Friday. 

“I always get super nervous, the day of I’m like quaking in my boots, and then when I get up there I usually still feel nervous and then after like ten seconds I start to ease into it. But it’s always super fun, I love performing.” 

Williams, president of the CHS Songwriting Club, also writes her own music. Her biggest inspirations are her father, who plays guitar as well, her mom’s side of the family, who loves to sing and has always encouraged her too as well, and the indie rock musician, Alex G.

“I just love the songwriting. I love the lyrics. I love the way his instrumentals work so well with his vibe,” Williams said, speaking about the musician. 

These students, alongside many more, will make up the performers of Friday night’s show. Camas Choir Director, Ethan Chessin is responsible for all things Camas talent show: the auditioning process, advertisement, the organization of the show itself and much more. Chessin is most excited for the spinning poi act, the CHS Bollywood dance team’s act, a harmonica solo, the original songs that will be showcased and “Spamfinger”, the Camas school district staff rock band which is performing again after a few years’ break.  

Chessin is also excited about the number of bands that will be performing.

“There are more bands this year than ever before. That’s exciting, I love it when bands perform at the talent show,” Chessin said.