On December 14th, the Somerville High School chorus opened the holiday season through song with their Sounds of the Season concert. It was truly a night to remember, with features from the Concert Choir, Chorale, A Capella, Chamber, and Men’s Choir, direction from Mr. Noa, and accompaniment by pianist David Shirley.
The Combined ChorUS — a combination of the seven different choral groups — opened the concert. They performed “African Noel,” featuring percussion from junior Aaron Szumigala on drums, and sophomore Noah Harris on tambourine. On top of that, a Hebrew folk song was performed entitled “Hine Ma Tov,” with a feature from senior flutist Julia Maziarz. While the rest of the choir members exited the stage, the Concert Choir assembled to perform “Shoshone Love Song” and “Banaba.” The Concert Choir is the entry-level choir comprised mostly of freshmen.
Named “Noa’s Ark” after their choir teacher, a smaller quartet comprised of junior Aaron Fodor, senior Alex Hogan, senior Ryan Landrieu, and sophomore Jack Kern, took the stage clad in sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts. They sang crowd favorite “Mele Kalikimaka,” which translates to “Merry Christmas.” Next up, the Chorale performed two songs – “Joy! Joy! Joy!” with a feature from Noah Harris on the triangle, and “Eatnemen Vuelie” (Song of the Earth).
The A Capella Choir then captivated the audience, being an auditioned choir for the first time, with three pieces: a tender Spanish lullaby entitled “A La Nanita Nana,” a soft ballad called “Your Hand and Mine,” and ended with a catchy, quick tune called “Pretty Little Baby.” The Men’s Chorus followed and performed two songs. The first was “Riu, Riu, Chiu,” a Spanish carol with impressive solos, featuring sophomores Jack Kern and Logan Ebersole, and junior Adrian Lopez singing in Spanish. They ended on a high note with “Good News, Great Joy! ”
Also nicknamed after their choir teacher, the second quartet “Noa’s Angels” took the stage to sing a beautiful rendition of “White Christmas.” Noa’s Angels is made up of junior Izabel Gomez, senior Alex Hogan, freshman Chayse Johnson, and senior Alyssa Pallitto.
The second auditioned choral group, the Chamber Choir, entered the stage and boasted a five-song set to start bringing the night to a close
They opened with “Goin’ to Bethlehem,” with a breathtaking feature from junior Emma Beckwith as a descant (an additional vocal part above the main melody). The next two songs were an intense tune entitled Keep Your Lamps!,” and “White Winter Hymnal.”
Their second to last song was an upbeat one entitled “Ding-a Ding-a Ding,” complete with rhythmic snapping and clapping that the crowd couldn’t take their eyes off of! For their final piece, “Silent Night,” the Chamber Choir continued with their long-standing tradition of inviting the Chamber Choir alumni to sing. It was great to see the familiar faces of past students and watch them come together to sing the familiar gentle melody.
The Sounds of the Season concert closed with fan favorite “Do You Hear What I Hear,” performed by all of the choir members in the Combined ChorUS. As Mr. Noa quipped, “There is no I in ChorUS!”
