March 4, 2014 Santiago’s various choir groups joined together to preform some hip jazz songs for their first annual Mardi Gras concert.

The hectic night started out with the talented Baritone Choir singing “What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?” by Marshall Bartholmew. This traditional folk piece was preformed with energy and with gusto and was a great song to start off the night.

Soon after the Baritone boys warmed up the audience, they were joined with the Madrigal boys to preform their iconic Singing-Valentines song “Treasure”, arranged by Erin Von Pingel. To switch up the program, the choirs added solos and duets to the bill.

The first duet to take the stage was Taylor Jessamy (11) and Jackie Asante (11) singing an acappella version of Bill Withers’ song “Lean On Me”. At the end of their performance, the audience gave the two Treble Ensemble girls a standing ovation.

“I was nervous, but seeing that standing ovation lifted my spirits and put a smile on my face,” commented Asante after her hard work paid off at the end of her duet.

Following the duet, Maddisen Darr (10) belted out “Out Here On My Own” from the musical “Fame”. Darr’s exhilarating high notes and her outstanding facial expressions sold her act and caused yet another standing ovation.

To move on with the bill, the Girls’ Concert merged with the Baritone choir to sing their festival set with their student accompanist Logan Karlen (10). Songs included; “Festival Hosanna” (by Mary Lynn Lightfoot), and “The Turtle Dove” (by Linda Spevacek).

Jacob Miller (12), who sang “Beyond the Sea” by Bobby Darin, was the first and only boy from the Madrigals to preform a solo during the night. With animated vocals, Miller also got a standing ovation from his peers. Next after Miller, Keith Ward and The Blackwood Jazz Combo preformed a New Orleans- jazz set. Ward, Al Meyers, and Eric Pittman preform at Citrus City Grill every Wednesday.

A fifteen-minute intermission split the program in half and our choir joined the family and friends to a silent auction.

After the intermission Treble Ensemble and Madrigals took the stage and preformed their separate sets that they will be preforming in Chicago.

Alexa Walter sang “I’d Rather Go Blind” (by Etta James), and Stacy Morales sang “Almost There” from the Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog”.

The program ended with a mass choir, all Santiago choirs, joining together to sing “Swinging with the Saints” by Mark Hayes, which was conducted by student Matthew Rubic (12).