‘Twas the Night of the Tundra Chorus Concert
The GJHS Chorus students performed at the Tundra Winter Concert on Thursday, December 12. The concert consisted of Christmas and winter-themed songs, along with some Traditionals. Each song was relatively short, yet adequately displayed the chorus students’ confident skills and reflected their hard work. The stage was ornamented with holiday decorations and students were dressed in festive Christmas sweaters, capturing the mood of the season.
The first performance that particularly stood out was the Beginners’ Choir’s. GJ’s chorus teacher, Mr. Lawrence, noted that while he was proud of all of his classes, he was especially impressed by their progress. They sounded like they belonged in the Advanced Choir. Julie Warren, member of the Beginners’ Choir, claimed that they achieved this because Mr. Lawrence had taught them what the Advanced Choir implemented in their music, except with less advanced music. Though many had no musical experience at all, they made it clear that they had worked with determination to get where they are today.
Julie Warren
Perhaps the best song performed was “Tundra”, the song in which the concert had received its name. It consisted of 9 different voice parts performed by sopranos and altos. “Tundra was definitely our most challenging song to learn.” Haley Cookson, member of the Advanced Choir, said. “[This was] mainly because it was a song combined with different choir class periods.” Even though she considered this the hardest song to learn, its outcome was mystifying. As their harmonizing voices floated, the audience was captivated. “For only having this song for around a month, I’m very proud with how it turned out,” said Cookson.
Haley Cookson
The most memorable song of the performance was the Men’s Choir rendition of “12 Days of Christmas”. When it was time for them to sing, Mr. Lawrence remarked that they were nowhere to be seen and grumbled that it was unprofessional. He went offstage to look for them, and only half came onstage. They began to sing but couldn’t continue until the other half finally came out. By then, it was clear that it was an act, and quite theatrical for a chorus performance. They comedically sang the wrong parts throughout the song, yet somehow maintained unison. Jason Markowitz, a member of the Men’s Choir, noted that they could achieve this by breaking down the individual song sections until it became simple. It was a lively performance, and it was clear that they had fun singing it.
Though this article has only highlighted key performances in the Tundra Concert thus far, it is important to note that each class did an excellent job. Some students had the opportunity to perform songs that they had prepared for the cancelled Autumn concert, and the long preparation allowed them to master even the most difficult pieces. Even the songs that had only been introduced to them a month prior sounded incredible, and it was clear that they had worked very hard to achieve that sound. To support chorus, one should consider attending any future performances to appreciate their high skill level and hard work. GJHS is proud to have such an advanced choir program.