August 12th, 2026, The Indigo (Elmhurst)

I got flashbacks from our first performance at Sunrise when I heard about our planned event at the Indigo. I was especially nervous (all over again), because I didn’t know what to expect. I was told that it was a memory care facility, so our group prepared a nostalgic sing-along with the well known song “Do-Re-Mi” from the Sound of Music. I’ve actually watched that musical, and it is a performance that is very dear to me as well. 

When we first started performing, the microphone system didn’t work and caused a lot of noisy echos, but that was fixed really fast! I really appreciated the employees there for being so supportive with all of the tech issues. The seniors were very supportive, and always congratulated each of our group members when they finished their performance. When it came time for the sing-along, many people in the front row were singing with us, and shaking the tambourines and percussion instruments we had passed out. I couldn’t help but smile genuinely at the sight. If we are offered to perform here again, I would be happy to accept!

Audrey :)

July 23th, 2026, Sunrise Senior Center (Naperville)

The room was packed! A lot of new faces, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find Pam, the winner of our game during our first visit. I’m happy to see that we had such a positive impact on our audience that increased our event attendance by so much. We started off a little bit more awkward due to some last-minute decisions, but let’s be honest; who hasn’t done that before a big event? When we started our trivia game, I could see the cogs turning in everybody’s head - which is great, because our goal as a group is to connect and simulate nostalgia through various forms of art. 

Everything ended up going smoothly, and although I didn’t perform a piano piece at this event, I’m happy to say that our new audience enjoyed the music just as much as the first. We ended up passing out prizes to everybody who came, and I loved to see the way they all smiled as they picked out their presents. 

Audrey :) 

June 17th, 2026, Sunrise Senior Center (Naperville)

Considering this was our first event, I didn’t think a lot of people would show up, so I wasn’t sure how welcoming or accepting the environment would be. I’ve never done an event of this caliber, nor have I even been in a senior center before, and the whole group was definitely on their toes! I was scared that my performance wouldn’t be good enough for them, or that they would call out any mistakes I made - but I realized that even though I played the wrong notes once or twice, the seniors here were genuinely excited to see what we had to perform. They were especially happy about Ian’s performance, and seeing their happy reactions made me smile too. 

During our ‘Guess the Song’ game, I was also very pleased to see how many of the seniors were trying their best to remember the songs they heard when they were younger as well - and while I can say that I definitely knew less songs than they did, it was a lot of fun for everybody in the room. Special thanks to Pam, our winner, for surprising us with her extensive musical knowledge! I look forward to performing here again. 

Audrey :)