Our choir presented their annual fall concert, Courage, on Oct. 21. This year, their show featured the Chanteurs and Mixed Chorus and even allowed the choirs from Highland Oaks and First Avenue Middle school to join to make it a special performance full of courage.

You may wonder what the difference between the Chanteurs and Mixed Chorus is. The Chanteurs are the advanced choir group at our school, and the singers are required to audition and go through an interview process to earn a spot in that group. The members then work diligently throughout the year to perform during school assemblies, concerts, and community events. On top of that, the Chanteurs are also expected to take part in a variety of choral competitions, collaborate with different opera groups, and host the annual Pow Wow Invitational, which is a famous show that incorporates dancing and singing. These talented singers captivate spectators by combining contemporary and classical music into their performances. Meanwhile, the Mixed Chorus group consists of beginning singers who are looking forward to improving their singing and music skills. The members perform in several concerts, including holiday concerts and the annual May Show.

Courage, which was the theme of this year’s fall concert, was developed through the hard work of all the performers, directors, and the talented pianist, Yuko Shiina, who accompanied the singers throughout the performance. The Highland Oaks (HO) Show Choir and First Avenue (FA) Middle School Choir both put on remarkable performances that left the audience glad the future of our choir program would be in the hands of such dedicated and outstanding individuals. The elementary school kids from HO, who were directed by Janice Clark, Kellye Huff, and Sherry Kefalas, sang and showed us their dance moves for Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”, while Mike Danielson, the director of FA’s choir, led the middle schoolers through several pop songs, including “Scars to Your Beautiful” and “Malibu”.
Our talented group of singers from the Chanteurs continued on the night with several more astonishing performances. Directed by Dr. Steven Pu, they sang a number of songs, which included “How Far I’ll Go”, a hit song from the movie Moana, and “My Shot” from the Broadway musical Hamilton, which involved five gifted soloists re-enacting the song. To end the night off, all the performers came together for a final song, “Always Sing Your Song,” which they hoped would inspire audience members to be brave, courageous, and to find their voice.

If you didn’t get a chance to experience the spectacular performance these singers put on during their fall concert, make sure you catch them at one of their upcoming shows this year!

Photos courtesy of ERIC SHEN