On April 10, the community gathered for Spring Beatnik in Straus Library. The night featured 23 unique student performances and was the last Beatnik of the academic year.
For Aruzhan Nugmanova ’28, a first-time Beatnik performer who sang Billie Eilsih’s “WILDFLOWER,” the night connected her with her sister, the person who inspired Nugmanova to embrace her musical talent. “I’ve never really taken any singing classes [and have] always had a fear of performing for a big audience,” Nugmanova explained. She also recounted that she “doesn’t have a guitar,” a fact that made rehearsal more challenging. But “WILDFLOWER” reassured her throughout her performance. “It's a song that my sister and I used to sing in karaoke cabins. So, I feel like taking on this challenge was sort of like reuniting with my sister even though she's far away from me.” Nugmanova also revealed the song’s elevated importance to their relationship after the Beatnik performance. “[My sister] told me that I delivered [”WILDFLOWER”] the way she has always envisioned it.”
Riley Qiu ’28, who played the viola from a young age, also felt the most recent Beatnik posed a new challenge for her. Qiu, alongside Mia Guo ’28, performed the famous violin-viola duet “Passacaglia” by Johan Halvorsen, her debut as a violist at Beatnik. Qiu and her friends had sung and played the guitar at previous Beatnik performances, and to her, that sort of musical style “felt very common, like a normal part of Beatnik culture.” However, “this was the first time we decided to do something different,” she explained, “we don't really see the viola or classical music in Beatnik a lot, which was why I think [the Spring 2026 Beatnik] was special to me.”
For Nora Lu ’29, Beatnik marked the beginning of many friendships and the medium to continue her musical passions. “My sister told me about Beatnik and told me that anyone can perform,” Lu recounted. Lu decided to form a band, The Major Minors, and join Beatnik performances. “So far, it's been really fun,” Lu reflected. “I’ve enjoyed the process of performing music that I love with my friends.” For their third Beatnik this year, the band performed Stevie Wonder’s iconic “Isn’t She Lovely,” and found the opportunity to innovate and push their creative boundaries. Wanting to put a jazzy spin on the piece, the band rearranged the original piece to introduce the trumpet, which partly substituted the vocals. “Adding [the trumpet] was really fun not only because it incorporated a little more jazz in the piece,” Lu said. “It was a new sound in our band.”
As the audience reflected on the performances the night offered, Liz Harris ’28 saw Beatnik as “fun but emotional,” while Qiu found a sense of “nostalgia” in the night. “It was a great Beatnik, but because seniors are departing, I felt bittersweet,” shared Qiu. Meanwhile, like many others in the audience, Adrienne Webb ’26 described the night as “surprising.” She added, “I discovered amazing talent from people I didn’t know.”
Lu explained, “Beatnik really encourages you to get out of your comfort zone and perform. No matter who you are, whatever grade you are in, everyone in the crowd will always support you. They're always cheering, and if you're playing a sad or melancholy song, they get out the flashlights.” According to Lu, “there is really no reason to not share one’s talent in such a low-stakes, intimate space.”