By Emily Doan & Natalie Tran
Last Friday, the Fountain Valley High School Vocal Music Program presented their first showcase of the year “FVHS Choir Virtual Holiday Concert,” directed by Kevin Tison and assisted by Ashley Miner, Daniel Querry, Jordan Reynolds and Tara Pitt.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tison said choir has had to adapt to many restrictions such as wearing masks and limiting gatherings to ensure “we’re all very safe and protected.”
Choir being a performing arts-based program has meant that preparations have been different this year. But despite the struggles with technology and making sure everyone is prepared through a computer screen, the FVHS Vocal Music program did exactly what they set out to do.
“I want to do is to create a virtual holiday concert that gives sort of the same feel as what our typical live holiday concerts are [like]… 2020 is a very odd and unprecedented year and I think everyone is a bit more drab and down during the holidays, and wanting to just be committed to doing whatever we can to put something out for our community, our students, our families and the world to just brighten their holiday a little bit,” Tison said.
This year’s holiday performance presented a variety of ensembles ranging from Concert Choir to the Troubadours and the Les Belles Voix.
The show opened up with a delightful acapella featuring soloist Frankie Simurda and Le Petit Neufs singing “Here We Come A-Caroling.” Following the performance, the audience heard some wonderful Christmas classics, including “Let it Snow” sung by Andrew Pham with his ukulele, a beautiful version of “Silent Night” sung by Lara Pinedijan and Trevor Damitz, and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” sung by FVHS choir alumni.
Along with this year’s segments, the holiday concert took a trip down memory lane and added clips of some of their best moments from previous holiday shows. The Troubadours performed “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in 2019 and “Somewhere in My Memory” at Segerstrom Hall in 2018.
Tison and the Barontones also put together a COVID-19-themed performance of “The Twelve Months of Quarantine,” a playful rendition of the classic English carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Through the charming assortment of songs that embodied the holiday spirit, FVHS Vocal Music’s holiday concert serves as a reminder that the show must go on, even with the ongoing pandemic.
Watch the FVHS Vocal Music Program’s Holiday Concert on YouTube.
