Choral department opened the holiday season with the annual Holiday Concert in a three-day production from Dec. 6-8 at the CAC. Directed by choir teacher Ms. Owen, the concert showcased the students’ effort and work since the beginning of the school year.
“In class, we do a lot of work,” Chamber singer Isaac Brieske said. “Mrs. Owen always gets us to work the song, one at a time, put it all together, take on individual parts and work on those until it’s excellent.”
The days before the concert are busy as singers attend two five-hour rehearsals and choir levels have the opportunity to practice on stage.
“We just have two rehearsals after school; we go through the entire show in its entirely,” Brieske said. “I love the rehearsals. It’s great to work with everyone and all the choirs, because we usually don’t get to do that.”
Choir departments have the chance to perform together as shown at the beginning of the concert in a song arranged by Derric Johnson.
“The opener of our show is ‘Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy’ and that one is a really exciting,” Encore performer Livi Langen said. “It was written in slavery times and evolved a lot since then.”
The program included many styles of music from classic holiday favorites to modern pop and also featured solo acts: junior Steven Dreifuss performed ‘Believe,’ sophomore Hannah Allen sang ‘Mistletoe’ and senior Cameryn Miller sang the song ‘December is Here.'”
Chamber Singers added an epic touch with their song “Dulaman,” and Encore mixed up the classics with an upbeat performance of “It’s the Greatest Time of Year” by Ally and AJ.
Encore could not let the holiday season go by without performing “Russian Dance,” a “Nutcracker” vocal rendition. The concert ended with the entire CHS Choral Department on stage singing “Hallelujah Chorus,” leaving the audience in festive moods. With a promising Holiday concert, students should not miss out on their next upcoming concert called “A Night with the Stars” which premieres on Mar. 7 and 8.
“When people are appreciating things we’ve worked hard on, it’s really satisfying,” Chamber singer Rebecca Lonas said. “It makes you feel like what you’ve worked on is really worth it.”
Marie • Dec 21, 2012 at 12:36 pm
1, 2, 3, 4 ENCORE BOOYAH!