Love. A sweet and tender emotion that many are lucky to experience. Romance is especially prevalent in the month of February, and the Choir Program definitely felt it this season, displaying it during the Love Songs Showcase on Feb. 9.
A mix of bright, colorful stage lights with each singer’s unique vocals brought delight to not only the audience but to the soloists as well. With each performance, the performers’ confidence grew.
Soloists faced stage fright, but were still able to put up amazing performances. While in the audience, I noticed each singer’s confidence grow as they advanced further into their songs. To some, performing does not come easy and takes great courage to step onto the big stage.
“I’m typically a pretty nervous person and the anticipation of knowing that you’re next definitely gets to you, but I try not to think about it and focus on the positive things,” sophomore Delilah Sanchez said. “I try to just tell myself to just do it and it’ll be over so quick it’ll feel like it never happened, which typically is the case since I’m simply focusing on singing the song and not the fact that I’m performing in front of a crowd.”
Meanwhile, soloist Angel Artha uses breathing techniques to help calm her nerves from stage fright.
Both soloists agree that having supportive peers by your side also helps. Artha, Sanchez and the other performers made a wonderful group and supported each other with each coming number.
With this showcase, all soloists prepared their songs individually and at their own pace. After days of searching for a song, singers chose the ones that resonate with them in some special way.
“The song ‘W.H.U.T (Wanna Hold You Tight)’ not only suited my voice but resonated with my past self,” Artha said. “Singing this song was also not easy, especially with the added improvisation that I had to learn to perform. However, because I really wanted to perform, I tried hard to do my best.”
Fittingly, each singer poured their hearts into their performances and loved the final outcome. Each number was unique, and the soloists even wore their own accessories and styles to make their songs more personal to them.
Soloist Dailyn Plummer sang “Willow” by Taylor Swift and gracefully swayed her dress, which was inspired by Taylor’s look in the Eras Tour, paired with her own flower crown.
Soloists Xavier Martin-Porter and Ellie Steinberg sang “Lucky.” The duo each gave one another the chance to shine, exchanging smiles and visibly having fun on stage.
It was delightful to see how much fun each soloist had on stage. Their self-chosen outfits emphasized the uniqueness of each performance, along with the radiant lighting designed and programmed by the Tech Program.
