The Vannaires, a group of singers and musicians at Van Nuys High School, performed at the Los Angeles Korean Festival held in Seoul International Park in Koreatown on September 23.
The Vannaires’ performances included jazz, folk, rock ‘n roll, and Korean pop, also known as K-pop.
To start off the show, all the members went on stage to sing for the big audience. These songs included “When Will I Be Loved” by The Everly Brothers, “I Will” by Paul McCartney, “There’s a Meetin’ Here Tonite” by Joe and Eddie, “Hummingbird” by Shawn Kirchner, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, and “Girl from Ipanema” by Antonio Carlos Jobim.
After Vannaires conducted their piece as a group, duet Jamie Lee and Olyvia Baek, both of Korean descent, were chosen to sing in Korean, their native language. They performed a medley of two Korean songs that they created specially for this event, “Nobody” by Wonder Girls and “You’re the Only One” by Park Jin-Young.
Mrs. Arevalo, Vannaires conductor and vocal teacher, also chose Olivia Rodriguez, Clare Pierone, Vincent Macias, and Lucy White each to sing as soloist for an impromptu piece called “Blue’s Medley.”
“Blue’s Medley” consisted of “scatting” along a piano melody. “Scatting” is when singers add on undirected syllables to a piano melody in order to create a singing piece.
Mrs. Arevalo compiled an assortment of piano melodies to which these the singers added their voices.
“We are very excited because this is our first time being invited to this venue. We feel honored and humbly proud to participate in such an amazing event and we hope to do it again,” said Mrs. Arevalo.
The 43rd Los Angeles Korean Festival was held from September 22-25 featuring entertainment, vendors, and cultural exhibitions.
In addition to the entertainment, vendors sold Korean food and other Korean products, like cosmetics, appliances and accessories, while cultural exhibitions educated visitors about Korean traditions and history.
“I’m honored to be able to represent my country and its culture with music,” said Baek.