Choir makes tributes, features soloists in Spring Revue concert
On May 18, the choir department put on its final two performances of the school year in the PAC at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Staying true to this year’s theme of “Tributes,” the different ensembles paid homage to iconic artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson, The Eagles, David Bowie and Earth, Wind and Fire.
“I thought [the theme] was really appropriate for this year, and we had a lot of fun singing the classic, old songs,” junior Emma Bushong said. “The Prince tribute was especially powerful because of his legacy and how recent his death was. And we had purple glow sticks, which automatically made it a lot cooler.”
In addition to the group numbers, solo acts were featured in the concert. After many lengthy auditions, directors Ed Snouffer, Jenn Goodner and Steve Sifner chose 27 specialty acts to perform in either one or both of the shows. Among these performances was junior Hannah Roberts and her twin, Ben Roberts, who sang a version of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” which Ben arranged himself.
“There is nothing I like more than watching Hannah perform,” Ben said. “It was a blast to get to perform alongside her.”
Although the majority of the two shows ran smoothly, there were a few moments in which things did not go exactly as planned.
“Madrigals worked really hard on perfecting an a capella arrangement of ‘Under Pressure,’ and we killed it in the first show,” Madrigal senior Annika Mukherjee said. “It went super well, so I think we were a little overconfident in the second show. Things started a little bit off, so it was difficult to get back in sync because all the voice parts were spread out across the stage, and the arrangement itself is really complex. The rest of the show went really well though, and we still have time to redeem ourselves at Baccalaureate and graduation.”
Despite any mishaps that may have occurred, most choir members were satisfied with the overall performance, and for the underclassmen, there is still the excitement for performances to come.
“It’s sad that we don’t have anything upcoming to work on in choir,” junior Claire Symcox said. “But I am really excited to be a senior next year and to make more music with all of my best friends that this organization has given me.”
However, for seniors, Spring Revue was the last of many performances all together on the Westlake stage.
“It was in fact a very emotional concert for me, knowing it was my last on the PAC stage with Westlake Choir,” senior Taylor Thomas said. “But during ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You,’ which we sing at the end of every concert, looking out at all of the underclassmen in the audience with joined hands, I only felt joy. Joy that these kids will be able to journey through Westlake Choir, and hopefully it has as much of an impact on their lives as it did on mine. It was a very bittersweet ending for the seniors, but also an exciting beginning for the students who get to continue in choir next year.”
