By Katie Vo
On Dec. 15, friends and families enjoyed a holiday concert from the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) Vocal Music Program at the Calvary Church of Santa Ana.
This holiday season, the choirs “decked the halls with a little jazz,” the title of this season’s program. Director Kevin Tison conducted the ensembles with great zeal and a professional band, composed of a pianist, guitarist, bassist, drummer and brass players, accompanied students’ voices.
The professional pianist began with a jazzy stylistic rendition of “Deck the Halls” as singers made their way onto the stage. Then, the troubadours, FVHS’s chamber choir, opened with “Spirit of the Season” and a traditional English carol, “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” with soloists and seniors Emily Nguyen and Jovana Hester.
Next, Les Belles Voix, the all-female intermediate choir, sang “Here We Come a Carolin’” with what seemed like a clave rhythm, a unique spin on the traditional piece.
The eclectic mix of music showcased Christmas pop music from “All I Want for Christmas Is You” to more traditional classics like “Ave Maria,” “Silent Night” and “What Child Is This.” The range of performances highlighted the talents of each choir. Concert Choir, FVHS’ advanced ensemble, had some singers beatbox while Baron Choir, the beginning all-boys ensemble, incorporated kazoos into their songs.
While most songs were sung as an ensemble, the program featured two student soloists, junior Ethan Shook and junior Frankie Simurda who sang “Frosty the Snowman” and “Christmas Waltz,” respectively. The audience erupted in applause after junior Sierra Springer and senior Sean Zukle danced to the waltz with such grace and elegance. It was as if the stage turned into a ballroom.
“Mr. Tison’s direction is super important, student leadership helps an insane amount in choir…and I think personal responsibility [in individually practicing] has the biggest impact,” Springer said.
In addition to rehearsing the choreography for the pieces with dances, some students put in extra hours of rehearsal time outside of school for specialty groups Le Petit Neuf and Barontones which are completely led by student directors.
“For the amount of preparation we had, it was really successful. I think all the beginner choirs…were so enthusiastic which gives me so much hope for the future [of the program] and the advanced choirs were really great,” senior and choir board president Cameryn Nguyen said.
After around two hours of singing and swinging the FVHS Vocal Music Program earned a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience. The choirs’ sounds of the season ensured that listeners left with soothed souls and lifted spirits.
