Winter Choir Concert exceeds expectations.
artwork by Luke DeGregori
On December 7th, the TJ Choir held their first concert of the year in an auditorium packed with parents, friends, and music-admiring Spartans. “It was a fantastic audience size,” said choir teacher Edwina Hebert. “Having a full audience always adds so much to the performance.”
Throughout the concert, a variety of choirs were exhibited: The Spartan Men’s Chorus, The Spartanaires, Advanced Choir, Monticello, and a nascent student-formed a cappella group dubbed ‘Shiggity Fresh.’ “I was very impressed by [Shiggity Fresh],” said Hebert. “They’ve only been together and practicing for a few weeks, and they were able to pull together two difficult pieces and perform them very well. They really stepped up and set the tone for the other choirs.”
A wide variety of music was performed during the concert, ranging from Christmas classics such as Sing We Now Of Christmas and Carol of the Bells to contemporary pieces such as Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson/Sara Bareilles. In addition to these festive works, Shiggity Fresh covered the song Gota by contemporary jazz band The Real Group. “My favorite song at the concert was Gota, just because it was a song by The Real Group,” said Senior Joseph Powell, a founding member of Shiggity Fresh. “They’re easily my favorite jazz group.”
Reflecting upon the concert, both Hebert and Powell felt as though it was a huge success. “The classes went together and were focused, prepared, and having fun,” said Hebert. “The music was interesting, and it definitely helped set the festive spirit. Each of the choirs improved a ton, and that’s what really made it a great concert.”
Powell, who has now been singing with the TJ Choir for about a year, also believes the concert yielded amazing results. “It’s the best concert I’ve ever put on,” said Powell. “I never really sang before last October when I tried out for Rent: School Edition, but now I’m glad I can take part in such awesome concerts.”
With one highly auspicious performance under her belt, Hebert now hopes to take on more challenging music in the future with her advanced choirs. “I’m really hoping Monticello and Shiggity Fresh will be able to tackle some crazy difficult pieces next year,” said Hebert. “Our next concert will be much more pop-influenced, and we’ll have a lot of jazz pieces going as well. And if it goes as well as this concert, we’re in for a treat.”
