Delaney Welsh ’24
Alaina Guo ‘22 is February’s Artist of the Month for her dedication and leadership in the dance, theatre, and choir communities. In addition to acting in every drama production at EA, being a Dance Co-Captain, Guo is Co-President of Improv Club, and sings in the Vocal Ensemble.
Photo courtesy of the EA Communications Department
Growing up, one of Guo’s greatest inspirations was Lea Salonga, an Asian American actress from the Philippines. Guo explains that “she [Salonga] was the first Asian American Broadway actress I knew a lot about.”
When reflecting on her favorite moments during her performing arts career, Guo mentions the charity concert at Haverford during her sophomore year. Guo explains, “There were a bunch of schools from the Inter AC…who went there and they sang Acapella and it was just really fun to watch all of the other groups perform.”
Guo has been involved with performing arts since middle school, acting in both plays and musicals such as Xanadu, Emperor and the Seed, and Peter and Wendy. Will Esterhai ‘24, Guo’s castmate, recalls first meeting Guo during the Middle School production of The Wizard of Oz. Esterhai notes, “She made me feel incredibly welcomed and included in the theatre community, even though I was brand new. I felt like I made a friend after the first day, and that was Alaina Guo.”
Esterhai is not the only student upon whom Guo has made an impression. Cate Curatolo ‘24 also explains that “in Honors Acting Alaina is always the first person to volunteer and she is just a really good role model to look up to because she always sets a good example.” Sarah Memmo ‘24, who performs alongside Guo in choir and dance, adds that Guo “demonstrates undeniable leadership skills” in multiple disciplines.
Guo is also recognized by many as a very impressive vocalist. Jim Erwin, Music Department Chair and teacher, explains, “Alaina has some of the best phrasing and expressive technique that I’ve ever heard from a singer.” He also notes how “she is really attuned to the melody and lyric, which a lot of singers aren’t.” One of the aspects that sets Guo apart is her ability to challenge herself, specifically with regard to song selections. Erwin explains that Guo chooses “some of the most difficult musical songs that you could sing, and does a really phenomenal job with them.”
Erwin continues that the reason Guo shines in the choir is because she is a “super versatile singer from pop to classical to jazz.” He explains, “She is the lowest singer in the choir, and I mean really full low voice, and she can sing the highest pitches too. She has this broad range, and every range she has is completely expressive.”
Katie Locke ‘22, who has performed with Guo in multiple productions, describes her castmate as “insanely talented,” due to her confidence and ability to improvise on stage. As they have participated in every Upper School production together, Locke describes Guo as “a really reliable scene partner during rehearsals and on stage. You know, if I fumble a line, I know she’ll be able to cover me, and it’s great to have somebody that is experienced on stage, next to you.”
Continuing her musical career, Guo will participate in the Upper School Domino Club’s production of Mamma Mia this Spring. Guo will be playing the role of Donna,
In terms of Guo’s future, she will be attending Duke University next Fall and has not yet decided how she will pursue it in the future. Alaina says, “I’m planning to do theatre studies in college, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll definitely be involved in college, I just don’t know to what extent.”
Whatever Guo ends up pursuing, her peers are confident that she will be successful because of the way her presence impacts others. Erwin notes, “Alaina is definitely one of those students that teaches you as a teacher, which challenges you. She actually inspires me as a teacher because of how she responds to music.”