final concert of the year blows audiences away
by spencer wakefield
Every three months, the choir classes in Craig hold a concert for each season. The last one, every year, is the Pops concert, with students performing pop music from the last few decades in informal t shirts, sometimes with more zeal than their regular choral pieces.
This year was no different, with the opening pieces by Vocal Jazz, sporting light green shirts, featuring a surprise appearance by Craig’s jazz band. “How High The Moon” and “Misty” were performed with as much energy as they would have been in the 40’s by bona fide jazz singers.
Next up was Mixed Choir, a combination of the 5th and 8th hour classes with over 90 members total. As a sea of maroon shirts walked onto stage, the choir opened with One Call Away, featuring solos by Jersey Elmer and Savannah Zimmerman.
After the applause faded, the students went on to sing I Wanna Dance With Somebody, featuring soloists Sonia Perez and Jarred Tippelt, then closed their section with Mercy by Shawn Mendes, with solos by Cici Jackson and Thomas Miller.
After Mixed Choir’s show of talent, the bar kept getting raised. Next up was Men’s Choir, also known as The Power Chords. The blue shirted group started off with a powerful rendition of Carry On My Wayward Son, solists Parker Rundquist and Aaron Emmel blowing away the audience.
Next up was Unchained Melody, originally a hit in the 50s, then again in the 70s, then yet again in the 90s. The timelessness of the song was captured perfectly by the spectacular melodies. The Power Chords closed with a rendition of When I Was Your Man, with soloists Luke Brown and Kyle Krueger serenading the audience.
Next up was Bella Voce, or Women’s Choir. 93 voices strong, and all in one class to boot, they blew away the audience with beautiful renditions of Thank You For The Music, Say Something, Can’t Help falling In Love. They closed out with Safe And Sound, which featured a solo by Claudia Fieras, and finally, I Will Survive, featuring solos by Lillian Anderson and Hannah Finn. After their performance, the choir delivered a heartfelt thank you to Ms. Odonnel, who will be leaving Craig after this year, for inspiring her students throughout the year.
Second to last was aCapella Choir, performing a Scottish folk song known as Loch Lomond to open. After soloists Noah Berghammer and Jacob Walsh swept audiences away to those bonnie banks, the choir launched into Yesterday Once More.
After a short introduction by Mr. Miller, the choir performed Please Stay, which some may remember as their performance at the Suicide Awareness And Prevention concert. With a heart wrenchingly beautiful solo by Abra Henry and confessions by various other choir members, the song served to tug the heartstrings of the audience.
A Capella’s last song for the night was Some Nights by FUN, with the opening solo by Morgan Stengel and a closing solo by Parker Rundquist.
After they finished their outstanding set, all 61 seniors in the choral program walked on stage, though most were already there, for the last performance of the night . After a short introduction by Mr. Miller, the seniors started For Good, from the musical Wicked.
With powerful solos by Lauren Sherman and Kelsi Newcomb, the graduating class truly showed that they had been change for good by this school.
After all the choirs and seniors, the teachers for the choirs began the annual choral awards presentation. After announcing that the criteria for lettering had been changed, they passed out choral letters to over two dozen students.
At the end of the night, the announcement that Jack Jorgenson had won the vote for the National School Choral Award was met with roaring applause, and the students left their last concert of the year with high spirits.
This year was no different, with the opening pieces by Vocal Jazz, sporting light green shirts, featuring a surprise appearance by Craig’s jazz band. “How High The Moon” and “Misty” were performed with as much energy as they would have been in the 40’s by bona fide jazz singers.
Next up was Mixed Choir, a combination of the 5th and 8th hour classes with over 90 members total. As a sea of maroon shirts walked onto stage, the choir opened with One Call Away, featuring solos by Jersey Elmer and Savannah Zimmerman.
After the applause faded, the students went on to sing I Wanna Dance With Somebody, featuring soloists Sonia Perez and Jarred Tippelt, then closed their section with Mercy by Shawn Mendes, with solos by Cici Jackson and Thomas Miller.
After Mixed Choir’s show of talent, the bar kept getting raised. Next up was Men’s Choir, also known as The Power Chords. The blue shirted group started off with a powerful rendition of Carry On My Wayward Son, solists Parker Rundquist and Aaron Emmel blowing away the audience.
Next up was Unchained Melody, originally a hit in the 50s, then again in the 70s, then yet again in the 90s. The timelessness of the song was captured perfectly by the spectacular melodies. The Power Chords closed with a rendition of When I Was Your Man, with soloists Luke Brown and Kyle Krueger serenading the audience.
Next up was Bella Voce, or Women’s Choir. 93 voices strong, and all in one class to boot, they blew away the audience with beautiful renditions of Thank You For The Music, Say Something, Can’t Help falling In Love. They closed out with Safe And Sound, which featured a solo by Claudia Fieras, and finally, I Will Survive, featuring solos by Lillian Anderson and Hannah Finn. After their performance, the choir delivered a heartfelt thank you to Ms. Odonnel, who will be leaving Craig after this year, for inspiring her students throughout the year.
Second to last was aCapella Choir, performing a Scottish folk song known as Loch Lomond to open. After soloists Noah Berghammer and Jacob Walsh swept audiences away to those bonnie banks, the choir launched into Yesterday Once More.
After a short introduction by Mr. Miller, the choir performed Please Stay, which some may remember as their performance at the Suicide Awareness And Prevention concert. With a heart wrenchingly beautiful solo by Abra Henry and confessions by various other choir members, the song served to tug the heartstrings of the audience.
A Capella’s last song for the night was Some Nights by FUN, with the opening solo by Morgan Stengel and a closing solo by Parker Rundquist.
After they finished their outstanding set, all 61 seniors in the choral program walked on stage, though most were already there, for the last performance of the night . After a short introduction by Mr. Miller, the seniors started For Good, from the musical Wicked.
With powerful solos by Lauren Sherman and Kelsi Newcomb, the graduating class truly showed that they had been change for good by this school.
After all the choirs and seniors, the teachers for the choirs began the annual choral awards presentation. After announcing that the criteria for lettering had been changed, they passed out choral letters to over two dozen students.
At the end of the night, the announcement that Jack Jorgenson had won the vote for the National School Choral Award was met with roaring applause, and the students left their last concert of the year with high spirits.