Advanced Choir and Monticello Choir members concluded their annual competition on a high note. photo by Mia Grijalva
TJ Choir students continue to practice hard and shine on stage.
At Thomas Jefferson High School, there are a variety of different choirs: Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, Advanced Choir, and Monticello. Each choral group has worked diligently for the past several months in preparation for their first concert, which was on October 25th, 2016.
TJ offers a multitude of different choirs for all levels of vocalists. In particular, Men’s Choir and Women’s Choir are ideal for those who have just recently begun experimenting with music, or even those who simply find joy in singing. By participating in these choirs, young men and women flourish into successful musicians each and every year. During the concert, Men’s Choir performed several memorable song selections including a medley of military songs and two other notable numbers. When asked about his favorite song from the concert, freshman Donzell Cooper, a member of Men’s choir, said, “My favorite song was Pirate’s Story; it had a lot of tenor splits, so I got to go higher and show off a little bit.” Additionally, Women’s Choir sang a variety of beautiful melodies titled Address To the Moon, Sigh No More Ladies, and Jai Bhavani. Both the TJ Men’s and Women’s Choirs have already demonstrated exceptional growth as musicians thus far in the year.
There are two Spartan choirs that require an audition for membership. These choirs are Advanced Choir and Monticello. Advanced Choir is primarily for those who have some knowledge and prior experience as a musician, as well as solid choral skills and techniques. Advanced performed four songs: In Terra Pax, Domine Fili Unigenite, Autumn Leaves, and America the Beautiful. Both Advanced and Monticello will have the opportunity to compete in San Antonio, Texas, during the spring of 2017. Both choirs have been working hard to perfect their skills in order to prepare for this prestigious competition against a multitude of other high ranking choral groups throughout the country. Monticello is TJ’s Honor’s Choir; they have performed at several unique venues including Barnes & Noble and Denver International Airport. Additionally, Monticello will be singing on the radio on December 8th, at the TJ Art Festival on December 10th, and finally with the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools on the 16th.
Since the beginning of the year, TJ choir students have improved immensely under the instruction of Tambyr Reed, TJ’s choral director. In addition to helping students improve their choral techniques, Reed uses her positive attitude to help encourage young musicians to become more passionate about music and to look forward to future performances with an enthusiastic point of view. Senior Nick Miller stated, “I’m definitely most excited for the future choir concerts this year because it’s always fun to perform new music.”
Overall, the TJ Choir department hosted a very successful first concert filled to the brim with talented students. Based on the progress made since the beginning of the year, it is evident that the Thomas Jefferson High School choirs will continue to succeed and grow immensely as musicians.
