“Can I Call You Rose?”: Performance by Guava Groove Collective

Guava Groove Collective — comprising seven Ravens with deep ties to our fine arts programs — performed their first-ever full set at Ravenfest, the spring community-wide event that took place on Friday, April 19.

“We went into the performance knowing that things could go wrong, but we still had high expectations for how we were going to play and knew that we were prepared,” said Olivia Rivera ’25, who provides lead vocals, keyboard and guitar for the group. “We could definitely feel the energy of the audience and the festival, and after the first song, we got into a groove.”

The band’s smooth, polished sound on their cover of “Can I Call You Rose?” by Thee Sacred Souls belies their relative inexperience as a live band, drawing on their long-standing connections to one another and their years of practicing and performing with Ravenscroft fine arts ensembles.

“Benya, Elijah and I have been making music together at Ravenscroft since we started in Kindergarten. Last fall, after working more seriously in a group with the Music Exploration Club, we created Guava Groove Collective with Liam on drums and, later, Maddy on guitar,” Olivia noted. “When we heard about the opportunity to perform at Ravenfest, we were so excited to share our hard work with the Ravenscroft community. We invited additional instrumentalists to perform with us in the horn section, Alex and Xaden, and they really helped our rendition of ‘Can I Call You Rose?’ blossom.

“Performing at Ravenfest was a great experience that strengthened the band and prepared us for the gigs that followed,” she added, “and we still continue to play, perform and grow together.”

Read more about Ravenfest — and the outstanding parent-group volunteers who made it possible — in our story Ravenfest Brings Community Together for Fun and Celebration.

(front row) Xaden Wilson ’26, Alex Wang ’25, Benya Wilfret ’25; (back row) Elijah Smith ’25, Olivia Rivera ’25, Maddy Goldstein ’25. Not pictured: Liam Henley ’24.

About Guava Groove Collective

We practice in various spaces, and whether we are in the orchestra room or at someone’s house, rehearsals are always filled with laughter and discovery as we share our love of music with each other. We play many different genres, most commonly neo-soul, R&B and jazz, and we have worked hard to develop our signature sound with all of our different backgrounds.

As for the name: when we would rehearse at Olivia’s house, we would always share a Guava Goddess flavored kombucha, so we just started referring to ourselves as Guava Goddess. However, to avoid any copyright infringement, we settled on Guava Groove Collective, to capture the spirit of the band and our strong connection.

Maddy Goldstein ’25: Guitar
Liam Henley ’24: Drums
Olivia Rivera ’25:
Vocals, Keyboard, Guitar
Elijah Smith ’25:
Keyboard, Trumpet, Percussion
Alex Wang ’25: Saxophone
Benya Wilfret ’25: Bass Guitar
Xaden Wilson ’26: Trombone