100 Years Young: A Musical Tribute to Mary - 6/22/2025 Senior Center Performance

Authored by Rien Chen, edited by Elena Chen

Featuring(left to right): Chloe Li, Cielle Chan, Shiang Hwu, Elena Chen, Mary(a senior), Rien Chen, Chloe Wong, Tristan Shi

This month's performance was extra special — one of the seniors, Mary, turned 100 years old this month! In addition to her birthday, she also was going to join our performance, singing some songs! We all looked forward to her part at the end of our performance, and after that, our special birthday surprise. Before all that, though, the audience was treated to a wonderful lineup of musical performances.

We started off with Cielle Chan, who beautifully sang “Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland, her clear, emotive voice perfectly capturing the nostalgic charm of the classic. This song was requested by a senior previously, and she specifically chose and practiced it for that reason.

Next, Elena Chen took the stage and performed “The Swan” by Camille Saint-Saëns on the piano. Her interpretation of the melody was very expressive, and left the room hushed in admiration. After that, she played "River Flows in You" by Yiruma, also on the piano. This piece was calm and relaxing, and the audience all enjoyed it.

Following that, Chloe Wong performed “June” by Tchaikovsky on the piano — a fitting selection given the month of our recital! Her playing encapsulated the warm, mellow feel of the month.

Cielle returned to sing “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong, bringing a smile to everyone's face with the heartfelt lyrics.

Then, Chloe Li played a rendition of "Ocean" (Etude Op. 25 No. 12) by Chopin, amazing us with her quick hands and strong musicality.

Afterward, Shiang Hwu gave a delightful flute performance of “Sicilienne et Burlesque” by Alfredo Casella. It was his debut performance, and he impressed everyone with his musicality — a great first impression!

For the final student performance, I played “A Town With an Ocean View” arranged by Makiko Hirohashi on the piano. This whimsical piece from the movie Kiki's Delivery Service by Studio Ghibli brought a magical tone to conclude the performances.

Then came the highlight of the event we had all been waiting for! As a special tribute to Mary’s 100th birthday, we invited her to the stage, and she showcased her wonderful singing voice in a mini set of American classics — “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” She was very enthusiastic (and seemed more like 21 than 100!) and most of the seniors joined in, singing with her to the nostalgic lyrics.

To conclude the celebration, we all sang Happy Birthday to Mary, and presented her with a bouquet of fresh flowers and a card signed by all of us. 

We then headed to the game portion of the event. Usually, most of our group would stay upstairs and play Bingo with the seniors, but today, we were all able to head downstairs to play Uno with another group of seniors. It was a lot of fun and a totally different experience, and was overall a great game session.

We had a fantastic event this month, and I look forward to making more memories!

Performers: Cielle Chan, Elena Chen, Rien Chen, Shiang Hwu, Chloe Li, Chloe Wong

Performance Host: Chloe Wong

Game Hosts: Cielle Chan, Elena Chen, Rien Chen, Shiang Hwu, Chloe Li, Chloe Wong