After a year of rehearsals, growth and learning, the Westview GOLD program culminated with its final show, May 24-25. For Baron Egaran (12), however, the show was much more than his last band performance. It was the end of many journeys carried out behind the scenes, far from the audience’s eyes. As head of stage crew and a performer, Egaran had built strong bonds with the people around him on stage, behind the curtains, and in the band room. He had to prepare for his final bow in the Gold Show.

First, he had to set the stage.

Backstage, Egaran conducted his own performance. As the logistics director and the head of stage crew, each night, he stood on a chair and silently ordered the crew, counting the rows and marking positions with tape. He kept track of the chairs, the stands, the podium. Without him, the stage would have been bare and empty. 

When the curtains opened, Associate Director Martin Fierro began at the cue of the spotlights. But when the curtains closed, Egaran conducted his own silent stage crew symphony in the darkness.

Then, he had to perform.

After hundreds of hours of solo practice and group rehearsal, the Gold Show was Egaran’s last chance to perform with the other musicians. With his fellow seniors. With the section that had been by his side for years. 

He played with several groups during the show. The end of each piece served as a reminder that he was approaching his last time on stage, in front of the crowd of excited parents and friends. Each time he exited to their thunderous applause.

Finally, he had to say goodbye.

As the curtains closed on Jazz A in the final show, he began to tear up. He was leaving the directors who had guided and mentored him. He was leaving the stage crew, who looked up to him and named him “King Baron.” He was leaving a program that had shaped him into a hardworking, responsible person through some of the most formative years of his life.

It was the end of an era. The many journeys he took in his band career converged here. Egaran knew he was leaving a whole world behind, but through the sadness, he knew that he would carry the friendships, the experience, and the wisdom on with him.