Written By: Rylee Sturgis, Staff Writer
MAKING MUSIC: The Poly High School Choir Program continues to rise.
Poly High School has four outstanding choirs: Concert Choir, Poly’s non-auditioned mixed voice choir; Chamber Singers, an auditioned mixed voice choir; Bella Voce, the auditioned treble voice choir; and Show Choir, an auditioned mixed choir that both sings and dances. On March 9th, the choir program hosted a pre-festival concert, featuring all of the ensembles here at Poly, including Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, Bella Voce, and Show Choir, and as a result, the seats were all filled in the theater. During the performance, Bella Voce gave the world debut of a song they commissioned in honor of Mr. Habereder. Ms. Walton also praised Concert Choir for their work, stating that they were the best Concert Choir she had in her years of teaching. This successful concert was a fantastic start to the festival season.
Chamber singers later proceeded to the Fullerton Festival, where their sight-reading capabilities (ability to read music) and singing were adjudicated. As with prior years, they earned superior (the highest grade) in all categories. Chamber singers also have the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) festival coming up later in April. Poly’s choirs are still in the middle of their festival season, but as seen with their accomplishments so far, all of the choir’s hard work this year is paying off, continuing to earn them grades of superior and excellent.
The audition process for Poly’s Varsity choirs also opened up, and many talented singers tried out. This process involved: sight-reading, recollection of a played cord, and singing in person. Although this year’s opportunity is quickly concluding, every year, including next year, Choir welcomes anyone interested in trying out. Regardless, students can still join the non-auditioned Concert choir .
Each choir goes on several field trips throughout the year and not only for their festivals. The varsity choirs, Chamber Singers, Bella Voce, and Show Choir, all had the opportunity to sing and enjoy a day at Disney California Adventure. Concert Choir was planning on going to Knott’s Berry Farm, but the park closed due to inclement weather; however, after their successful festival, they went to the mall as a group instead, while also rescheduling their trip for another day this year. Chamber Singers and Bella Voce even recently traveled to Seattle, alongside the Chamber Singers at King High School, visiting the Space Needle, Pike’s Place, and several other locations. This trip was an amazing experience for those in attendance and allowed them to explore Seattle, sing, and meet new people from school choirs in the area.
The final concert of the year will be the Pop’s Concert featuring Broadway and songs from movies on May 9th; it is open for everyone to attend. Come out, join, and support Poly’s choirs to participate in the fun!