54th Annual BlackForest Delights College Audience
This past March, students, staff, alumni and friends of United College gathered in Alumni Hall for the 54th annual presentation of BlackForest, the College’s long-running talent showcase known for bringing together music, humour, creativity and community spirit.
This year’s show once again highlighted the incredible range of talent within the United community. From classical performances to spoken word, comedy and crowd interaction, the afternoon reflected the energy and personality that continue to make BlackForest a favourite campus tradition.
Music remained at the heart of the event. Daria Cautata, Elizabeth Myers, Belle Zhu and Mary Azouz delivered memorable performances of popular songs, while Takumi Yajima impressed audiences with a virtuosic performance of Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto in B Minor. A member of the University of Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Takumi’s performance was one of several standout musical moments of the afternoon.
Maya Chaikam brought both artistry and surprise to the stage, performing Delibes’ Flower Duet on flute, after first captivating the audience by riding a unicycle while playing an earlier piece.
The show also embraced the unexpected and delightfully unconventional. Tim Welsford challenged audience members to name countries whose capitals he could not identify, responding quickly and correctly to even the most obscure suggestions. Meanwhile, Devan Grey-Wolf had the crowd roaring with laughter during a comedic elephant-joke routine complete with oversized elephant ears, a trunk and enthusiastic trumpet impressions after every punchline.
BlackForest opened with a high-energy performance from The WaterBoys, the long-established a cappella group with deep roots in United College history, and concluded with a thoughtful spoken word performance by Naba Hundekar. But the evening still had one final surprise in store as MCs Michael Yip and Annika Persaud returned in disguise for a playful hip-hop tribute to Toasty that brought the room to life.
As always, intermission featured another cherished BlackForest tradition: Black Forest cupcakes served by Watson’s.
The event also welcomed distinguished guest Dr. Bob Rosehart, a resident of United College during its very first year in 1963 and former President of both Lakehead University and Wilfrid Laurier University. His son, Bill Rosehart, will begin his term as President of the University of Waterloo on July 1.
Warm thanks go to Mary Azouz for directing this year’s production, as well as Niki Azary and Jonny Dodoo for providing technical support and helping bring another memorable BlackForest to the stage.
