Saints Rock! Alumni and Students Put on a Show

It wasn’t only the weather that was heating things up on the Canterbury campus in April—our alumni and student musicians dazzled as they shared the spotlight for the Fifth Annual Past & Present Concert.

Held outside on the Duffy Patio on a warm Friday evening, the show featured graduates in the music world collaborating with our current ensemble of talented students to the delight of an enthusiastic audience. The set list was impressive indeed, including “When I Come Around,” “Just Friends,” “Cold Water,” “Stairway to Heaven,” and “Come Together,” the perfect theme song for the evening!

It was an exceptional lineup of returning alumni as well—Diego “Dipa” Ante ’19, Nick Cabrera ’09, Paul Deedon ’09, Roman Massi ’05, David Stukshis ’05, and Will Tully ’06. Their collective experience includes playing or touring with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Richie Zambora, Wheatus, and George Benson as well as producing their own music.

Playing in his third Past & Present concert, Nick continues to be thrilled about performing with the latest aspiring young musicians at his alma mater. “It was both nostalgic and comforting to return to Canterbury to work with the kids. It brought back a lot of great memories of playing music with my own classmates,” he shared. “The current students are so talented! It was obvious they put in a ton of work.”

Equally inspired were the students who played with—and learned from—these accomplished professional musicians:

Contemporary Music Band
Asher Hughes ’24, vocals
Connor Koh ’23, drums
Morgan Lau ’24, vocals
Xavier Leone ’23, bass
Jiarui “Jerry” Liu ’25, piano
Kate McDonough ’24, vocals
Ryan Oemcke ’24, guitar
Patrick Toon ’25, guitar

Contemporary Music Band 2
Eliza Agredano ’24, vocals
Irene Chen ’24, piano
Rahee “Ren” Kim ’25, vocals
Andrew Martin ’23, vocals
Xinyi “Lisa” Weng ’23, vocals
Lezhi “Martin” Zhang ’25, vocals

After the show, Director of Music David Overthrow was quick to share his admiration for both current Saints and returning graduates. “I continue to be amazed by how talented our students are as well as the commitment of our alumni—some of whom are professional musicians—who come to join us for this show,” he said. “It is special to see how these graduates and current student musicians share the same passion for music performance and how all involved make connections that will be a Canterbury bond for many years to come.”

Young guitarist Patrick appreciated the opportunity. “The energy level was amazing—especially toward the end of the concert when the audience came right up next to me,” he said. “And the incredible talent the alumni musicians brought to the concert blew me away.”

The feeling was mutual. “I was geeking out about the guitar players since that is what I play,” Nick said. “I was very impressed with Ryan and Patrick. And the singers have pipes! It is important for me to show them they can build a life around doing what they love. I am so glad I got the support I needed from Mr. Overthrow and everyone at Canterbury.”

VIEW REPLAY OF CONCERT

VIEW PHOTOS