Wednesday, March 2 the choirs of Santiago hosted a music advocacy concert, appropriately dubbed Music in Our Schools. In addition to a myriad of mind blowing vocal and instrumental feats, student speakers strived to emphasize the importance of continued availability of musical education in schools, stressing its versatile benefits within the worlds of music, academics, and beyond. Young guest performers from the Orange Elementary Choir proved to be an impressive (and unquestionably cute) paradigm of the extent to which discipline and group harmony can be wrought from even the youngest of scholars, thus serving as sufficient evidence of the success of school music programs. And if tiny angelic voices coming together for “Meet the Muppets” weren’t enough to convince audience members of the exploits local music programs are truly capable of, then our vast array of Santiago vocalists surely did the trick.
After the Madrigals’ customary “Star Spangled Banner” performance and the Pledge of Allegiance, the Girls Concert Choir presented “Heart, We Will Forget Him!”, a choral arrangement by Lauren Farnell of Emily Dickinson’s beloved poem. The girls joined forces with the Baritone Choir shortly afterwards for “Come to the Music” by Joseph M. Martin. Jubilant, lively, and heavy with old European influence, the classic piece nearly had listeners skipping along to a traditional kingdom dance (for those of you who have seen “Tangled”, you know exactly what I’m talking about). Becky Chun’s (11) piccolo work complemented the vocal performance beautifully, bringing that extra pinch of magic to an already enchanting recital. The two choirs also performed “Three Contemporary Latin Settings” by Jerry Estes before the Madrigal boys took the girls’ place for “The Longest Time” by Billy Joel, the boys’ selection for last month’s Singing Valentines.
Following the boys’ charming presentation, alumni soloist Gabriela Green held listeners’ hearts in her hands for the duration of her exhibition of “The Light in the Piazza” by Guettel. Green’s Broadway-esque vocals could’ve put any Disney princess to shame. Forget Elsa, we want Gabriela! But mind you, there was so much more to the performance than the mere vocal aspect. Green’s stage presence and physical displays of emotion yanked audience members out of our humble abode in B Building and into the world of musical theater. The Big Apple might be over 2000 miles away from little ol’ Corona, but Green made New York City feel that much closer.
One intermission later, the Santiago High School Jazz Combo gave us a little taste of good old-fashioned jazz for all souls young and old. We’re not talking cheesy elevator music here, oh no, we’re talking smoky bar scene with some cat on the Steinway and Satchmo center stage.
Treble Ensemble busted out “Ad Amore” and “I Am Not Yours”, with the Madrigal Girls joining them for “My Guy” (the girls’ selection for Singing Valentines), which certainly got a few of the old timers smiling. Overall analysis? Well rehearsed and, in a word, excellent. Sometimes it’s hard to take in the fact that our peers can come together to form the best possible imitation of a heavenly host. I mean, it’s the next best thing, right?
One of the highlights of the night had to be Kelsey Coovert’s “Piangero la sorte mio” by Handel. Coovert, another alumni soloist, was no less than an opera queen that night. The sheer range of her voice was unfathomable, her notes held out flawlessly down to the last possible minute. Once again, the audience found themselves far from the Santiago theater, thrust into the velvet seats of the Palais Garnier itself. Coovert’s powerful display of pure musical talent left goosebumps lingering well after its conclusion.
Last, but by no means least, came the Madrigals. The Madrigals chose to dedicate their three selections to the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack of last December. Needless to say, things got pretty emotional. “De Profundis” by Russel Robinson contained two versions of Psalm 130, a mournful outcry to the Lord; “In Remembrance” by Jeffery L. Ames was meant commemorate the fallen victims; and “Baba Yetu”, a Swahili rendition of The Lord’s Prayer ended on a slightly happier note. Upbeat and full of life, “Baba Yetu” filled the hearts and souls of the crowd with, dare I say it, hope. Carl Galarroza (10) and Adriana Harrison (9) provided the percussion.
‘Twas a night of celebration; a celebration of talent, a celebration of success, and a celebration of musical education and all the good that comes from it.
