Show Choir to premiere first concert on Jan. 20
Photo by Ava Schweser.
January 20, 2022
The RBHS show choir will perform their first concert of the year on Jan. 20 in the Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 and available at the door. The concert will also feature John Warner Middle School’s new show choir, Southwest Sound Effects.
This year’s production is centered around the board game “Sorry!” and includes five songs explaining the game to the audience and the various strategies to win. It combines energetic, fast-paced choreography with a variety of musical selections that range from modern pop to slower ballads. The concert is two days before the choir’s first competition on Jan. 22 and will serve as a fundraising opportunity to help offset the costs of costumes, choreography and music.
RBHS Show Choir Director Mike Pierson said both students and staff worked for months to perfect their singing, dancing and costuming in order to create an engaging performance for future audiences.
“Music rehearsal started at the beginning of the school year,” Pierson said. “Choreography was learned in October [and] the instrumental ensemble started rehearsing in November. Our rehearsals have been spent learning, reinforcing and polishing all of [these] aspects.”
Senior Elsa Kelley-Marcum said she’s grateful to be in such a loving community like show choir and hopes to show the time and effort they’ve put into rehearsing in their upcoming concert and competitions.
“I’ve been in love with show choir for a while and have been in it since my freshman year,” said Kelley-Marcum. “No matter what struggles we go through each year, I am always able to find a family within this group of people.”
Participating in show choir, junior Michael Ray said, has allowed him to grow as both a performer and person. The energy of the audience, band and fellow show choir members on stage always feels like a surreal experience beyond music and choreography to them.
“Being in show choir has taught me that there is more to music than just lyrics and notes,” Ray said. “I’ve been able to come out of my shell over the past few years.”
Throughout his years in teaching show choir, Pierson said his students always rise to the occasion of performing in public, and he hopes to see a large audience for the students’ production on Thursday.
“High school students are capable of so much more than they believe they can do,” Pierson said. “I hope to see lots of people in the seats who cheer really loud and enjoy the performance.”
Are you excited to watch the show choir concert? Let us know in the comments below.
