AHS Choir Concerts Review

On December 18th the Avon High School Choir performed in the AHS Auditorium. As usual, a lot of people came to the concert; the auditorium was packed with family, performers, and alumni. There were so many people, that it was difficult to find a seat. The concert was conducted by the Choir Director, Mr. Brochu. It included a selection of holiday songs, but it also had a wide variety of other pieces, from Billy Joel to Handel. The students were divided into singing groups according to grade and singing ability (Chamber, Men’s Choir, Rhapsody, Women’s Choir, Camarata, and finally a Combined Choir).

Since there were so many choirs the concert was long but enjoyable. It is a choir tradition to perform the Star-Spangled Banner beautifully before every concert. This makes the concert overall feel very professional and official.

The first choir to perform after the Star-Spangled Banner was Chamber Choir. They sang four songs: Let the Music Fill Your Soul, Dear Theodosia, Stand By Me, and Ding Dong! Merrily on High! The choir’s first song, Let the Music Fill Your Soul had a french horn accompanist, Jackson Jobe, which I enjoyed.

Jobe had great intonation and dynamics which made him an excellent accompanist. My favorite song that Chamber sang that night was “Dear Theodosia” from Hamilton. My friends in Chamber had been telling me about it for months and it was neat to be able to finally hear it performed. I also think that “Dear Theodosia” is such a beautiful song with a lovely yet simple accompaniment.

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Overall, the Chamber Choir had great tone, articulation, and dynamics.

The next group to perform was Men’s Choir which consisted of freshman boys. As they took their places on stage, the Camerata Singers sang a brief interlude from the aisles of the auditorium. After they finished, the Men’s Choir started their performance with their traditional song, We Sang Last Night. Which they sing every year as an initiation into the choir program. The group then sang Benedicamus Domino by Thomas Juneau. I noticed that the singers had trouble hitting some of the notes, which is expected as their singing voices are just developing. However, they did a great job singing Benedicamus Domino and the piano accompanist masked some of the singer’s mishaps. My favorite song this group sang was Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. Although they sang Benedicamus Domino with better intonation, I recognized Uptown Girl and was delighted by the choir’s energetic performance.

The third choir was Rhapsody, which is a high-level, student-run choir, which holds auditions run by students. The first song they sang was the Pentatonix version of If I Ever Fall In Love. I thought that this was Rhapsody’s best song, all of the soloists sand impeccably. I especially enjoyed the solo by Casey Quinlan and Marcel Paige. Rhapsody’s next song was Cold December Night by Michael Buble. As a Michel Buble fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the song but it seemed as though the audience lost its energetic nature during this performance. Overall, I was impressed by how good the group’s dynamics were, and I was impressed with the group’s range, which goes to show how talented they are as individuals and as a choir.

Next was the Women’s Choir, which was a freshman and sophomore choir. They sang Taylor, The Latte Boy, Oceans and Stars, and Sleigh Ride. The group, in general, did not do very well with dynamics and there were several intonation issues. But as they are a freshman group, it is expected that they’re still developing their singing skills, and the group was very good at staying together. The first song they sang, Taylor, The Latte Boy was my favorite. It was a song about a Starbucks employee, which caused the audience to chuckle at points.

After Women’s Choir, the Camerata Singers performed. This was another advanced and well rounded group. My good friend and soprano, Allison Rinehart, is a member of Camerata. The first song that the group sand was Deck the Halls in ⅞ which is a rather advanced way to sing Deck the Halls, I was impressed that the group was able to sound as good as they did at that rhythm. The next song Camerata performed was The Seal Lullaby by Rudyard Kipling and Eric Whitacre. Before the choir began to sing, Mr. Brochu told an interesting story about the song, explaining that he has a connection to one of the composers/lyricists. Overall, Camerata sounded like an expert choir and had excellent dynamics. The choir had near-perfect tone and so did the soloists in Keep Your Hand on the Plow.

Lastly, there was the traditional Combined Choir, where many alumni of the music program came to sing Hallelujah by G.F. Handel with current AHS students. It is a nice idea for the younger singers to be able to learn from alumni of Mr. Brochu’s choir and be able to sing with them, some of whom are now actual musicians. The Combined Choir is a great tradition. With so many people on stage, the sound was magnificent. Their singing filled the hall with breathtaking sound. Even though there were so many people, possibly a hundred, they all stayed together. The final song was The Lord Bless You and Keep You, another traditional song for the Combined Choir, which was a beautiful, rich, and epic ending to a wonderful night of performances.

In conclusion, the Avon High School Choir concert was astounding. I was impressed that all of the choirs had excellent articulation and sounded so rich. They were all very good at keeping tempo as well as staying together as one strong voice. The more advanced choirs such as Camerata and Raphsody sounded like professionals. And the Men’s and Women’s Choir did great for their first concert and seemed to have a lot of fun singing with the alumni. I also love how the choirs all have so many traditions that can help the groups bond. The overall mood during the concert, both from the singers and from the audience was one of high energy and excitement.