The choral department’s fall concert of the year launched last Friday; audiences filled up the T-building plaza and were entertained with performances covering art songs and literature. Conducted under Choir Director Tyler Wigglesworth and assisted by accompanist Kana Croissant, performances from Bella Voce, Melodia, Harmonix, Wescovaires, and Duly Noted left the audience with an unforgettable night. 

The success of the concert weighed heavily on the hard work and preparation of students and Wigglesworth as he ensured that they would feel connected to the music they were performing. Through the unique songs from the choir and live poetry readings by English teacher Mrs. Tonatzin Rodriguez in the second half, the concert’s theme, “A Word of Art,” conveyed the value of words to the audience.

“I love to look at concerts as opportunities to tell stories and present ideas. The idea is that words can be in art form, we tell stories through poetry or through songs and we as vocalists have the opportunity to use words to tell the stories,” Wigglesworth explained. 

The first half of the concert consisted of performances from all sections of the choir. Bella Voce, also known as women’s chamber choir, opened the concert with the rendition of Tyler Arcari’s “Ai Hai Yo” and Zane Randall Stroope’s “The Singer”. This was followed by one of three soloist performances, Gabrielle Manuel’s cover of “God Help the Outcast” by Alan Menken. 

Melodia, also known as concert choir, and Harmonix, also known as men’s choir, each performed three songs and were followed by soloist performances from Celeste Carrillo singing “That Would Be Enough” by Lin-Manuel Marianda and Julianna Othmer’s rendition of  “Home” by Alan Menken. Wescovaires, an auditioned choir group of combined vocal ranges, performed the Irish piece “Prayer of St. Patrick” by Micheal John Trotta and left the audience in awe with their performance of the indian piece “TaRekiTa” by Reena Esmail. 

Junior Austyn Catano, an audience member, expressed his thoughts on the choir’s talent.

“I feel very involved. It’s so fun to see them sing-they have very beautiful voices,” Catano said. 

The first half closed with this school year’s “High School Musical” theater cast’s preview of the arriving play’s opener. 

Seniors Yulianna Lumbreras and Bianca Camberos, both a part of Wescovaires, shared how they put on their best performances on stage. 

“Seeing everyone so excited to perform dilutes my nerves. Initially it’s pretty scary, but then once you get into it you’re like, ‘Okay this is pretty easy, we’ve been doing this this whole time,’” Lumbreras said. 

“The most important part of performing as a group is to have a connection with the people around you, you have to listen to them and form a bond. The hardest thing to overcome when you’re performing is when you mess up on stage, if you mess up you have to really just keep going,” Camberos added.

The second half of the concert opened with Rodriguez’s reading “Our Words Matter”, by Adelaide Knight. Duly noted, another section of the choral department’s vocal groups, followed this with John Tebagy’s “I Hope You Dance” which included a beautiful vocal range of singing and featured beatboxing by Marc Anthony Lopez. The show closed off the night with five more readings and performances from Wescovaires and Bella Voce.

“Coming together feels amazing, we get to show how much music can affect people, how it affects us as a choir, but also how it affects the other choirs and how it affects everyone around us, so it’s honestly such a magical moment,” said Wescovaries and Duly Noted performer Apollo Lozano. 

The choral department has only just begun its path to voice the talents and capabilities of these students as they prepare for their upcoming shows on November 11 and December 2. With the success and professionalism these concerts house, the unique experience this holds on parents, teachers, and students exemplify a sensational community experience.