On Wednesday, October 4, Marty’s featured over a dozen different Luther students taking the stage for SAC’s annual Open Mic Night. Two of those lucky students, who just so happened to be first years, took home trophies in recognition of their talents.

Nijah Cesare (‘27) took home the first trophy for Fan Favorite which the panel of judges decided on from the audience’s applause and cheers after every act. She sang karaoke versions of “Let You Break My Heart Again” by Laufey, and “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” by Celine Dion. Although she suffered a small technical difficulty with the wrong track playing at the start of her first song, she continued a cappella for the first song, which earned her cheers from the audience.

“It was so fun, it was great expressing myself through song,” Cesare said “ I picked the songs I did partly because they fit my range, but also because they were in memory of Minnesota and home.”

The second trophy was awarded to Mason Hatch (‘27) for Open Mic Night Champion. He performed “Holes” by Wyatt Flores and “Something In The Orange” by Zach Bryan, using his guitar for both songs. It was Hatch’s second time performing in front of a crowd at Marty’s, as he previously got a chance to perform with Jason LeVasseur. Hatch was grateful for the chance to perform and said after that he was unaware the event was actually a competition. 

“I didn’t even know there was a trophy until one girl said that performers should stick around,” Hatch said. “Thanks to everyone who put [the event] on, it was really cool and I encourage people to [participate in future Open Mic Nights] even if they don’t sing or perform.”

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Jermaine Dizon

In total there were 14 acts during the night; thirteen of which were music-based, while one participant performed poetry. There were four group performances that ranged from acapella to karaoke to jazz, and the solo acts consisted of three piano performances, four guitar performances, and three karaoke performances. The MCs of the night, Christian Montover (‘26) and Jonas Haugland (‘25), took the stage between acts with jokes and comedy bits before introducing every performer.

The annual event hosted by SAC is usually the start of homecoming events on campus. According to SAC Homecoming Council Co-Chair Rachel Jorgensen (‘27), Open Mic Nights have been happening at Luther for over a decade, and SAC plans to continue the tradition.

“[Open Mic Night is] about welcoming all Luther students and their acts and their talents,” Jorgensen said. “It was a way of bringing the campus together during homecoming, celebrating all that we have. A lot of people were having fun and laughing, it was great to see everyone together.”

SAC has not publicly announced their next events for the fall semester. The group meets on Thursday nights at 6:00 p.m. in the Mott/Borlaug room of Dahl Centennial Union.