On December 10, the Davie County Chorus Department held their winter concert, the second of the 2024-2025 school year. This concert showcased songs from Concert Choir, Treble Choir, Bell Choir, and Vocal Ensemble, including traditional hymns, Christmas mashups, and unique blends of traditional holiday songs.
The concert began with a performance of “I Wonder As I Wander” by Jennaya Robinson. This was performed in the aisles of the auditorium with all the girls in the Ensemble surrounding the audience. During this song, all the lights were off, creating a surreal atmosphere and setting the stage for the rest of the performances. After this song ended, the students transitioned into the Concert Choir section.
Concert & Treble Choir
The Concert Choir is composed of 57 members, ranging from soprano to bass. This allows the beautiful blending of voices in songs like “Gloria,” composed by Micheal John Trotta. This song, the first of the evening, showcased the choir’s skill and their growth from their fall concert. They then followed this song with a blending of “O Come and Sing of Christmas” and “On This Winter Night,” both composed by Greg Gilpin.
The last piece performed was “One Candle” by Andy Beck. This song began with solos sung by Nadiya Berrios and Dominic Johnson. It also featured a descant, which is an independent treble melody usually sung above a basic melody. The ensemble consisted of Brook Brown, Maddie Lazenby, Allyson Phibbs, and Shyane Woodall. Darst was impressed with the changes in Concert Choir over the semester.
“Their growth in musicianship, sound production, and respect for one another and their product.” Darst adds, “It makes a difference when everyone cares about the music they are making.”
The following Choir to perform was Treble Choir. It is made up of nineteen members, ranging from soprano I to Alto II. Something special about the choir is that it is made up of all girls. The first song they performed was “A Little Night Caroling” arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram. They then performed “Sing! O Sing!” by Dave and Jean Perry. This song was the introduction of percussionists. The percussionists consisted of senior Sean Lane, Band Director Matthew Brusseau, and David McCollum. After, “Sing! O Sing!” The treble choir performed “A Joyful Gloria” by Earlene Rentz. The last song they performed was “Underneath the Tree” arranged by Ed Lojeski.
Vocal Ensemble, Men’s Ensemble, and Bell Choir
Vocal Ensemble’s performance included a mix of religious songs and Christmas classics. While the first four songs had a more traditional sound to them, with the main accompaniment being a piano, the last song they performed in this section was “Nutcracker Jingles,” arranged by Chuch Bridwell and involving a more contemporary arrangement. The song is a combination of music from “The Nutcracker” coupled with the lyrics to “Jingle Bells.” This created a nice blending of the music normally heard around Christmastime.
After “Nutcracker Jingles,” the Men’s Ensemble performed their song “Little St. Nick,” arranged by Jay Althouse. This song was added to the performance because when Darst listened to “I Wonder As I Wander,” she fell in love with it and thought the guys needed their own song since the girls were getting their own. Originally, this song had choreography that accompanied it, but Darst noted that “We ran out of time.”
The bell choir took the stage following the men’s ensemble. For their performance, they adorned Christmas sweaters, but in that transition, there were a couple of blips that added a light-hearted element to the performance. The main blip was getting all of the bell tables moved and getting everyone on stage from transition to transition. For example, some of the members of the bell choir had performed in the men’s ensemble just moments before, so they had to manage to get their sweaters and bell gloves on within minutes to be ready. They were originally supposed to perform only one song, but Darst decided they could handle another piece because they “rocked” their first one. These two songs were “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella” arranged by Cathy Moklebust, and “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem” arranged by Chris Burton.
Ending Performances
After all of the tables were moved to accommodate the last performance, the lights were turned off so Vocal Ensemble could perform their last song, an “Elf” medley, arranged by Andy Beck. This medley was based on the musical “Elf,” inspired by the 2003 film of the same name. It took all of the songs and combined them into a fun, jazzy performance that was a delight to watch. While they were singing, they danced. When the lights came up, everyone in the choir was holding a continuous piece of tinsel, ready for them to hold up to make a Christmas tree, then dispersed into a line when they transitioned into the next part of the medley.
Junior Sara Martinez was particularly excited about the opportunity to perform this medley. When there are opportunities to do “more than just sing,” it allows for greater engagement with the music.
“Music is storytelling and when you involve your body in the process, everything flows easier,” Martinez said. “As someone who loves musical theatre, having the opportunity to showcase its beauty through one of our pieces will always be my favorite part in performances.”
To end the night on a beautiful note, Darst invited the audience to sing along to “Silent Night” with all of the students. With this song, the stage lights are lowered, and every student holds an electric candle, lit to make it feel like a Christmas Eve service at a church. Traditionally in these services, the last song to be sung is “Silent Night,” and Darst wanted to carry that tradition over to her winter concerts.