With the holiday season surrounding us, students are starting to get into the festive spirit and are looking forward to the long Christmas break. This past week, the choir program hosted their semi annual choir concert titled “Warm Winter Wishes” with songs that boosted the holiday spirit. In addition to the music, the program also sold hot chocolate, cookies and other winter snacks to the attending guests.
There were so many wonderful voices and performances that were incredible to hear as well as see it with your own eyes. Featured in many songs, including her own solo and trio performance, choir president Maya Diaz explained that the holiday music was exciting to work on all semester.
“All songs were selected by our vocal teacher Mrs. Weddle at the start of the year, but some songs were cut or changed based on Mr. Wilson, our choir sub’s, judgment,” she said. “Solos were selected by soloists themselves. Christmas songs just spark excitement in all of us and give us something to look forward to.”
Class representative Lilit Aprahamian was proud of the choir program because of the effort that everyone put into creating the show.
“I was surprised at how many people were at the concert,” she said. “The hard-work and dedication that everyone in the choir put into their performances in order for everyone to enjoy is really something to appreciate. The event was really rewarding, especially after all of our hard work throughout the semester. We’ve really been working on pieces for the show since august and have been working hard to perfect our pieces even with some bumps in the road.”
Aprahamian performed “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with Dillon Patton during the second part of the concert. Her vocals throughout the song were so beautiful and soft, and left me shocked in my seat as she sang. Both performers had a presence on stage that was hard to ignore.
Kyrstel Arcinas, a first year choir student, sang her solo “You’re so Pretty” from the hit show “Heartstopper.” Although she had a setback at the beginning of the song, she was able to finish the song perfectly and swiftly as if nothing had happened.
“This experience has been incredibly fun,” she said. “Being able to sing with people who also like to sing and to have that community is so rewarding.”
Duets like “Baby it’s Cold Outside” performed by Connor Ruckman and Madison Braybon and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” performed by Dilan Patton and Lilit Aprahamian added a great contrast to the show. The partners had wonderful chemistry on stage, and never failed to impress the audience.
“I loved the harmonies in the duet,” Braybon said. “We worked hard to perfect it. There were some parts that were improvised. Which kept the performance unique and fresh each show.”
The most iconic part of the concert was the last song “Christmas in LA” where all choir members sang together. Wearing fun sunglasses of different colors, the number was upbeat and filled with energy, leaving a lasting impression on the audience as they exited the theater. The choir program has many shows next semester, including another large concert titled “Screen to Stage” with a television and movies theme, as well as a solo showcase centered around love songs.
My rating: 10/10
