Written By: Miles Watts, Staff Writer
FESTIVE: All of Poly’s choir performed on the Arthur Littleworth stage to celebrate the holiday season.
On Wednesday, December 11th, parents, alumni, and friends all gathered in the theater to watch the choral ensembles at poly to sing holiday tunes. There was a 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. performance as the theater would not be able to accommodate everyone if it was one concert. As the final preparations were made, the audience filled the seats and the concert began with the two varsity choirs (Chamber Singers and Bella Voce) lining the aisles. Accompanied by the pianist Mr. Yohonn on handbells and Christopher Johnsen on hand drum, the combined choirs sing “Novum Gaudia” as they make their way to the risers. “Making Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride” were the next songs sung by the two groups. After, the choir director, Ms. Walton, tells the audience that these two groups will be traveling and performing at Disneyland that Saturday and that they heard three songs from their set just now and will hear the rest later. Bella Voce then exits the stage leaving Chamber Singers to perform their song, “This Christmas” with Mr. Yohonn and Ms. Walton.
After Chamber Singers finished their song, Concert Choir entered the stage from the audience and performed “Frosty the Snowman” and “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” After were a few of the solos prepared for the 6 p.m. show. Gabby Torres sang “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” and Noah Sparks sang “Santa Baby.” With the curtains being closed during the first two solos, the risers were able to be moved to make room for Show Choir. They performed “Run Rudolph Run” and “Little Saint Nick,” and the curtains closed once more to seamlessly move the risers back in place while the other two soloists sang. The remaining two for the 6 p.m. show were Hannah Laag, who performed “No One Else,” and Christopher Johnsen, who performed “O Holy Night.” “It was incredible not only listening to them, but also watching them… they did amazing,” says Aalyiah Tovar (12), an alto in Concert Choir.
Bella Voce was next on stage with their song, “Baby, What You Goin’ To Be.” To close the concert, Chamber Singers joined Bella Voce to finish their set for Disney. The combined groups sang “Bidi Bom” and “Theme from Elf,” which featured a lovely kazoo soli. The final song of the concert “Fruitcake” was sung, and the audience absolutely adored it. “It’s a classic and while highly amusing, it’s also just really fun to be a part of,” Kayla Sturgis (11), an alto in Chamber Singers, remarks. With the final song concluded, Ms. Walton wished everyone a good night and a merry Christmas, and the performers left the stage to meet with their proud families.
Picture of Bella Voce and Chambers Singers playing their kazoos during “Theme from Elf.”
The 8 p.m. concert was the same as the 6 p.m. performance, but with Arabella Kats performing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” Juliana Geiger singing “Stille Nacht,” Ani Soto singing “Santa Baby,” and Darren Rodriguez performing “Jack’s Lament.” Since there were a surplus of solos that were accepted, there were singers who performed between the two concerts and after the show. The soloists include Alana Dominguez-Johnson, who performed “Misty,” Vincent Martinez, who sang “Feliz Navidad,” Marcus Lucas, who sang “Winter Wonderland,” Nyla Dadsi and Noemi Martinez, who performed “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” Genevieve Kasinski, who performed “Silent Night,” Allurabella Chandler, who sang “Last Christmas,” and Lilly-Ann Miller, who performed “Sally’s Song.” Everyone did a wonderful job that night and it is clear that the audience thoroughly enjoyed it both times. “I’ve met some really talented people through [choir], and I’ve been able to progress more with my vocal type,” says Piper Peterson (11), a tenor in Chamber Singers. This concert shows family members the growth their students have seen, and it is certain that they are very proud of their progress in music and in life. Giving holiday cheer to the audience was the goal of Ms. Walton and the students alike, and they certainly spread Christmas cheer to those who were present at the choir concert.