Go Out With a Bang: the Last KFC of the Year

On Friday, May 9, members of the Deerfield community gathered in the Hess lobby to watch and perform in the third and final Koch Friday Concert (KFC) of the ’24-25 school year. The program ended up featuring 49 acts with various styles of music. However, there were originally 67 sign-ups. Incoming KFC Co-Student Organizer William Wichern ’27 explained the process of dealing with the unusually large number of acts: “We had to email a couple of kids to say ‘you have multiple acts, can you cut some?’ because otherwise, this KFC would be running for six hours,” he said.

Incoming KFC Co-Student Organizer Reagan Warren ’27 added, “It was difficult to get those cuts down, but we wanted to keep it [KFC] within three or four hours because of curfew and just accommodating underclassmen.”

The Student Organizers noted eagerness of the student body as a possible reason for the abundance of sign ups. Outgoing KFC Co-Student Organizer Lily Pierce ’25 wrote in an email interview, “I think people are more motivated to perform at the end of the year. I feel there’s kind of a ‘now or never’ mentality, especially for the Seniors.” Warren expressed a similar opinion: “This year, I think people started to realize how important it [KFC] was and how present it was on campus, and started to feel like, ‘oh, maybe I should do that with a couple of my friends’ or ‘we should go out with a bang our sophomore year.’”

Other performers used KFC as an opportunity to show appreciation for the graduating class of 2025. KFC performer Justin Wang ’27 described how he and Nicholas Xu ’27 approached their joint performance. “Here’s a great opportunity to both show our love for our seniors and our sadness that they will be leaving, and another opportunity for us to show our singing abilities,” he said.

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to put on KFC. Warren noted, “I quickly realized it’s actually much more complicated than it seems.” Student organizers send out a google form to gauge student interest around a month before the intended KFC performance date. “We gather... for our initial planning session, which involves contacting Mark the Sound Guy, facilities to schedule stage set-up, communications for bulletin posts, and the dining hall for snacks,” wrote KFC faculty organizer Cheri Calcaterra in an email interview. “We then meet regularly until the KFC date to organize the lineup and work out technical details,” Pierce explained. The technical details include communicating with tech and lighting staff and sorting out backing tracks.

While the May 9 Spring KFC was originally going to happen outdoors on the Hess quad, rain forced the organizers to move the performance indoors. Ms. Calcaterra expressed her gratitude for the work of the student organizers, writing, “They... do all the last-minute requests for time changes, they keep the show moving efficiently, and they are so happy to work on one of the best DA traditions I have known!”

Warren spoke about the organizers’ relationships with KFC. “We really love KFC. We really put our heart and souls into KFC, and just seeing how received it is among the student body, I think fuels us to want to keep putting it on and keep putting our work into it,” she said.

Performers, organizers, and audience members noted unique aspects of the KFC experience. “I’d actually say there was more nerve wracking than performing at say, school meeting... just because you prepared for it yourself,” Xu said. However, he also added, “what I really do love is that it’s so supportive of everyone. People cheer, no matter what you sing, no matter how you do.”

Audience member Thomas Schwarting ’27 noticed, “I think what’s very clear is it’s a student-led concert; the audience is much more upbeat. It feels much warmer, and has a more Deerfield-like feel.”

Ms. Calcaterra highlighted how accessible KFC is to all students, writing, “I love that so many kids that I am used to seeing on courts and athletic fields shredding a guitar or singing their hearts out or tickling the ivories!” Schwarting, a rower, said, “Seeing all the talent up there makes me want to give it my own shot with an instrument.”

Neither Ms. Calcaterra nor any of the student organizers have plans to change KFC in any major way. Wichern said, “I think KFC is like a tradition, almost. And I think... putting our own, unique spin on it [KFC] is something important, but I think also keeping its originality, as in, it’s a concert for everyone in the student body to show.” Ms. Calcaterra added, “I simply hope it continues to carry [the] heart and soul that it currently does. It is the most wholesome Deerfield event in existence, in my opinion.”