Ready to raise the bar, the choirs have been practicing since the first day of school for the fall concert. The concert is on Oct. 25 in the cafetorium.
There will be two concerts, one at 6 p.m. and one at 7:45 p.m., featuring both the middle school and high school choirs. Admission is free, but the Mountie hat will be passed around at intermission for donations to the program.
“It is a great way to grow the program and share music [between the high school and middle school],” said student Choir Director Miss Emilee Bodien.
Unlike previous fall concerts, this will be the first one in the cafetorium. Last year, the facility was still under construction. The choirs have used the cafetorium for multiple concerts and have had practice with the new sound and light equipment.
“The only concern is if there will be enough seats for everybody in the audience,” said Bodien.
Some of the songs being performed by the ensembles will be “Defying Gravity” arranged by Stephen Schwartz, “Behind These Hazel Eyes” by Kelly Clarkson, and several more.
Bodien will conduct two songs at the fall concert this year, one of them being “Stout Hearted Men” performed by Men’s Choir.
Vocal Dimension and Serenade! will both have choreography with the majority of their songs. The ensembles learn and practice their dances and music over a weekend retreat while they bond together.
“I like having choreography because it’s different from the rest of the year, it sets this concert apart as something special.” said senior Sophi Epstein. “It’s fun to have dance partners and get to learn some choreography, but sometimes I feel restricted, and it doesn’t leave as much room for expression.”
Concert choir also has a weekend retreat where they spend one day practicing music together, and the next day they go to Craig’s Cruisers, a family fun center in Grand Rapids, for bonding time. There they can race go karts, play mini golf, have laser tag battles, and go to the arcade together.
“The choir retreat was a lot of fun, for sure. We went to Craig’s Cruisers and that was definitely a lot of fun.” said sophomore Josee Brafford. “I conquered one of my biggest fears.”
All of the work put into the rehearsals at retreat and in the classroom has helped prepare all of the choirs for the fall concert.
“I am excited to see all the hard work pay off and I’m excited to see the reactions of what the choirs thought of the concert,” said Bodien.
With all of the choirs on different levels of musicality, it brings a variety of sound and energy to the concert.
“I’m excited for all of it, it will show all of the students’ commitment to excellence,” said Choir Director Mr. Matthew Snell.
This concert will be the start of another year of growth for the ensembles.