Curtains rise on the Choir Winter Concert today. The night, featuring cozy classics and holiday arrangements is set against the backdrop of the newly renovated and re-opened Don Tew Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 6 p.m..
What is the Winter Concert?
Junior and Choir Co-Historian Evyn Kidd: “For our Winter Concert, we practice pieces and rehearse them. October is when we started and we perform them today. We have two mixed pieces and three treble pieces. It’s basically just to show what we’ve learned throughout the few months that we’ve been practicing.”
Senior and lead vice president Carleigh Copeland: “Our upcoming show is our Winter Concert. We will be singing traditional and modern winter and Christmas music. [This year’s] theme is ‘light.’”
Junior and Lionheart member Violet Brewer: “The Winter Concert is the [time] when choir gets to sing all of our, holiday music. It’s pretty fun. It’s the concert that most people go to. I really enjoy it. I love singing a bunch of choir and good quality music.”
Senior and Choir President Elliana Reed: “The winter concert is our annual concert that contains the start of our UIL pieces as well as Christmas classics to spread fun and cheer.”
What will it be like performing in the new Performing Arts Center?
Kidd: “I am really excited because we have a whole new sound system so I’m really excited for everything to be crisp and clear. And the aesthetics and design are going to be really pretty– all of the chairs are nice and new. It’ll be a lot more organized too because usually there was only one door, so like everybody’s going through one door, but now it’s split. So I’m pretty excited about it.”
Copeland: “It will definitely be special to be one of the first performances in the new PAC. We’ve been performing at other schools recently since our PAC was under construction, but we’re all very excited to be back on our home stage.”
Brewer: “It’s gonna be really cool and way more comfortable performing in the new PAC. The old seats were very hard and very uncomfortable. It’ll be hard to get used to the acoustics, but it’ll be interesting.”
Reed: “I’m very excited. We’ve waited a long time for this PAC to reopen, and it’ll be nice to not have to commute to Cedar Park to use their auditorium.”
What is your favorite song to perform?
Kidd: “The song that really makes me happy is a ‘Daemon Irrepit Callidus,’ because it’s really hard and it’s in Latin. I’m so excited to perform it because we’ve been working really hard, so I think it’s going to come out really well.”
Copeland: “My favorite song in the show is ‘Daemon Irrepit Callidus.’ It’s a Latin song about a cunning demon. We’re singing a lot of traditional and religiously themed songs in our winter show, and it’s a good contrast from the more lighthearted songs.”
Brewer: “[My favorite song is] ‘Carol the Bells.’ It’s just a classic. All of the songs are fun, but Carol of the Bells is my favorite.”
Reed: “Easily ‘Daemon Irrepit Callidus.’ The song is very challenging and has a dark tone, which is my favorite kind of choir piece. It’s been a challenge to learn it, but we’re so excited to present it.”
How do you practice and prepare for the show?
Kidd: “We have rehearsals during class time, and then sometimes people come in for sectionals, and they sing through their songs. If we need help we get practice tracks over the break. [Christian] Clow sent us practice tracks. He actually gave us an assignment to record ourselves singing and send it to him for feedback.”
Copeland: “I prepare for the show by practicing at home and during off periods and lunch if I can. Relaxing your vocal cords by not talking at certain times is important too. That’s called ‘vocal rest.’”
Brewer: “Lots and lots of practice. I would practice during class, and I practiced at home, so hopefully, I’ll be ready for the show today.”
Reed: “Rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal. It’s been so much rehearsing, as well as touching base with other members to ensure we all have similar goals in getting our program together.”
Why are you excited for the show?
Kidd: “I’m excited to see all of the other choir perform. We have our beginning treble, and our advanced treble and beginning tender base. I’m really excited to see what they have planned.”
Copeland: “I’m excited about this show because it’s my last winter concert as a senior. Winter is also my favorite season for choir because it’s when we get the best song picks in my opinion.”
Brewer: “Concerts just give me goosebumps– I’m always tearing up when I listen to groups of people sing. I love the community and I like showing off what we’ve learned throughout the couple months [we’ve been in school].”
What about this gets you in the holiday spirit?
Kidd: “Definitely the songs– especially Carol of the Bells. Every time we sing that song, I’m like ‘oh, it’s Christmas time. It’s here.’ The theme of the songs and the theme of the concert really gets me in the spirit because. So I’m pretty excited about that.”
Copeland: “I like how early in the season the winter concert happens. We got our first sheet music on Halloween actually. It felt funny at first learning Christmas music during the fall, but leaning into the cold weather and the winter spirit– it feels good to be learning matching music.”
Reed: “I’m excited to be able to celebrate with my friends all the accomplishments we’ve made over the past two months. That feeling alone brings me festive cheer as how we all work together in a community.”
Why should students show up for the concert?
Kidd: “It’s really, it really is fun. And you get to hear these amazing songs. I think we’re really good, don’t want to toot my own horn, but toot toot. We’re so proud of these songs and what we’ve learned. People should show up because it’s just a really overall good experience.”
Copeland: “Students should show up for a fun experience. It’s a free show, and our choir council and performers have put in so much time and effort for this show to make it the best we can. It’s definitely worth it to show up and support our choir community.”
Brewer: “Coming to the concert really gets you in the holiday spirit. It’s. And our songs sound pretty good, too.”
Reed: “I hope students show up to see how unified we are, and to hear a great program led by great singers.”
