Photo Credit: Sandy ChandlerBy: Alexis Harper
The spring chorus concert was scheduled for Thursday, March 5, but was rescheduled due to inclement weather and is now scheduled for Thursday, March 26, at 7 pm in the Orange High School auditorium. Admission costs $5.
Approximately 100 students will be performing in the concert, which will be a black-tie event for chorus students. The concert will consist of classical songs like “In These Delightful, Pleasant Groves" by Henry Purcell and “Cantate Domino,” which is Latin for “Sing to the Lord.”
The concert consists of three groups: the concert choir, which are the new students entering chorus this year; vocal ensemble, which are duets and trios; and the English Madrigals, which are older, more experienced students.
The OHS Chorus Department has a concert every nine weeks, and it is a graded assignment for the students. The Orange High School students and Jane Williams, the chorus teacher, are excited to show off the talent the chorus has this year.
Photo Credit: Sandy Chandler[/caption]The winter holiday concert this semester went very well. There were duets, solos, and group pieces that were different for each class. The first period intermediate class sang five songs, the second period class sang four songs, and the third period madrigals class sang five songs. All were very well performed, but some stood out against the rest.
First period intermediate chorus sang “Once Upon a December” from the movie Anastasia very well, and it stood out from the other pieces of the night. The class did four other pieces: “Bidi Bom,” “Under Winter Moon,” “Riu Riu Chiu,” and “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” This class also had a delightful men’s piece that had everyone laughing: “The Chipmunk Song.” Sophomore Paul Ruback even “crashed” his scooter, resulting in an uproar from the audience.
Although second period didn’t have a fun men’s piece, they still did well. Their best piece was “Rudolph, the Rednosed Reindeer.” The soloist of this piece was senior Emily Cecil and she was followed by Caleb Riley, who acted out the part of Rudolph.
However, the best group was the madrigals. Although they have had more practice than the rest of the groups, they take the cake for best group. They had a really interesting piece called “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.” In this piece, the men acted as puppeteers, while the women pretended that they were dolls. Audience members were clearly impressed by the show. Cedelia Obenshain, a sister of one of the madrigal singers, said, “It was really cool. The girl on the end was the best.” Obenshain was referring to senior Tysiona Haines-Mitchell. Haines-Mitchell sang a solo that night named “Miss You Most at Christmas.” One of the concert’s sweeter songs, this solo earned the applause it received.
The concert ended with several department pieces. These pieces further displayed the talent offered by the different classes of chorus at OHS.
Photo Credit: Tony and Debbie (flickr username). Photo License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. No edits made.[/caption]Thursday, March 27, the Orange High School Choral Department presented an A Capella concert. Tickets to the concert cost $5 and it took place at 7:00 pm.. It was directed by Orange’s chorus instructor/teacher Jane Williams.
The concert included all three classes of chorus; Beginning, Intermediate, and Madrigals going in order from advancement. The students all wore black formal attire and did their pieces with no instruments or backing music. Chase Austin welcomed the crowd and presented the first performance of the night.
The Beginning Concert Choir began first singing three pieces, Old Dan Tucker, Red, Red Rose, Shut de Do. All went without a hitch and were a nice way to start off the concert.
After the three Beginning arrangements the Intermediate Concert Choir stepped onto stage and sang four different songs. These were; Non Nobis Domine, Ah! How Pleasant, and a crowd favorite that provided some humor for the concert, The Animals Improvise Counterpoint (a “Nonsense” song), as well as a follow up song, Liza.
After Intermediate came the Madrigal Singers who sang Flower of Beauty and Elijah Rock. After them came a Pop Mashup sang by multiple madrigal girls, Kimberly Barbosa, Nicola Cassada, Katie Clark, Ashley Holloway, Jessica Scott, Sarah Tatum, MacKenzie Turner, and Amanda Rowe.
After the female ensemble another small group of Intermediate students came forward to sing, Just The Way You Are. This group included Ally Farthing, Tyshiona Haines-Mitchell, Kaleb Hix, Julian Knight, and Jalesa Parker. Somebody I Used To Know was sang right after by another small group of Madrigal females.
Three young ladies; Erin Burgner, Hannah Cozart, and Andie McKinnon then sang The Chain. Followed up by Nicole Cassada, Katie Clark, Caleb Tolin, and Nicholas Vassello singing Because of You.
After the smaller mashups were applauded for, Matt Lewis, Montee Mitchell, Davis Scott, Jordan Toney, and Andrew Williamson performed Let’s Groove which was another hit with the audience. After the Madrigal boys sang their groove, Chase Austin Trevor Bates, Aidan Farrel, Travis Holt, Marquise Morrow, Sankwon Reams, and Dalton Shary sang You Send Me ending the concert on a perfect note.
Great job to the Panther singers and congratulations to the 12 students who were chose to perform at the North Carolina All-State Choral Festival in February and special congrats to Travis Holt for being chosen to sing one of two solos in a Mixed Ensemble chosen by Dr. Rodney Wynkoop of Duke. Stay on the watch for the All County Choral Festival at Orange April 12.
The concert began with the concert choir singing “Jubilate Deo,” an Irish folk song, “Cliffs of Doneen,” a spiritual song, “Wade In The Water,” and “Peter Piper.” “Peter Piper” featured a colorful light show that gave the crowd a good laugh. The women from that class then sang “Candle on the Water” from Pete’s Dragon. Each song went without a hitch, and were all fun treats for the whole audience.
Next up came the vocal ensemble singing the spiritual song “My Lord, What A Morning.” The song was filled with great emotion and praise. Next they sang “Ave Maria,” a song composed by Giulio Caccini. Lastly came “Dreams of Thee” from a poem called “Lines to an Indian Air.” The crowd gave a huge round of applause before the ensemble exited.
Madrigal singers entered dressed in the traditional black gowns for women, and the all-black suits for men. They began with a Cuban folk song, “Son de Camaguey,” then went on to sing “Flower of Beauty,” which was definitely a crowd favorite. Before exiting they all sang “Elijah Rock,” putting emphasis on the spiritual essence of the song. The madrigal men left, leaving the women to perform “Beauty and the Beast.” Savannah Kimbrough flawlessly executed the solo, getting a huge round of applause.
The group of men from the concert choir then came up to sing “Calendar Girl,” which was meant to woo all the ladies in the crowd. They had a short dance to go with it, each member performing a solo. The crowd responded greatly, and the choir exited, taking their seats.
Next up was “Runaround Sue” performed by the vocal ensemble men, and a solo by Andrew Carey. It was done without error, and was a great performance. The song quickly ended before the women came up to perform “Grumble Too Much,” a Caribbean folk song.
All the females were dressed up in aprons and bandannas, wearing a mean face as they came out. The song was a fun experience, and the crowd got into it, hooting and hollering with the girls. The song was popular among the younger audience too, who, after the show, were still loving the act.
Madrigal men then followed with “Little Darlin.’” The song was a hit with many females in the audience, and was a great transition song for the next ensemble that sang “Everybody Talks” by the group, Neon Trees. The ensemble includes singers Erin Burgner, Hannah Cozart, Khadijah Johnson, Sankwon Reams, Andrew Willamson, and the lead Caleb Tolin. The ensemble received a huge applause, many getting out of their seats.
Another ensemble followed with Chase Austin, Aly Hardigan, Travis Holt, Marquise Morrow, Sankwon Reams, Jessica Scott, and Andrew Williamson. They performed “Wonderwall” by Oasis with Holt taking lead. The song was well received by the crowd.
Lastly, the whole choral program came together to sing “We’re The Choir,” a warm-up song used featuring a selected part for the different vocal ranges alto, soprano, tenor, and bass. The song is quirky and showcases each section’s strengths. That concluded the concert and all the singers took a bow before everyone headed out to the lobby to discuss the show. Great job to Orange High’s chorus!
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 3-5, the Madrigals performed Hairspray for the Orange High School community.
The main cast members were Grace Huskins as Tracy Turnblad, Travis Holt as Link Larkin, Nicky Vassello as Edna Turnblad, Penny Pingleton as Sarah Tatum, Terrance Morrow as Seaweed J. Stubbs, and Mackenzie Turner as Amber Von Tussle. Jane Williams directed the show and there were many other great performers in the show.
The play was a very funny and well put on performance. There were two acts and they held a large sum of songs that were in the original play. The highlights of the first act included the lovable songs “Good Morning Baltimore,” “The Nicest Kids In Town,” “Mama, I’m A Big Girl Now,” “Run and Tell That,” and “Big, Blonde, and Beautiful.” There were many beautiful voices heard in the play and the audience could tell that the singers were gifted.
Mia Frenduto, the assistant technical director, said, “I thought the cast did a fantastic job and they pulled it off really well in the short amount of time that they had to work on it.” Caleb Gray, a member of the audience, said, “It was an excellent show that was well rehearsed and featured some of the best talent Orange has to offer.”
The second act contained songs like “The Big Dollhouse,” “You’re Timeless to Me,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” There was a very exciting part at the end of “You Can’t Stop The Beat” where the audience was given the chance to stand up and dance. The second act also featured the songs “Without Love,” which was a love song that Holt sang to Huskins and Morrow also sang to Tatum. Also, another performance that was well received by the audience was “I Know Where I've Been.” This song was sung by Khadijah Johnson, and the crowd roared with approval.
Grace Huskins, who played Tracy Turnblad, the star of the show, commented, “It was awesome! It just keeps getting better and better every night.”
Out of all of the cast, though, Nicky Vassello got the most laughs. He played Edna Turnblad, keeping up the grand tradition of the female character being played by a male actor. He remarked after the show, "It was an interesting new experience. I think the performance went well and we did really well. And about the part of playing a women, I had to wear a bra for the play and I had to have a friend help me put that on. I found out what a girl goes through, and I have to give them props.”
Hairspray is a play about a young girl in 1960’s Baltimore. She gets a part on a dancing show and she makes a lot of waves because of her size and the fact that she wants to get the show to integrate. Along the way she finds love and she, her best friend, boyfriend and all of her unexpected friends get to teach the world what it is like to get along with one another.
This musical features the talents of the Madrigal class. Cast listing is as follows: Grace Huskins as Tracy Turnblad, Nicky Vassello as Edna Turnblad, Andrew Williamson as Wilbur Turnblad, Travis Holt as Link Larkin, Mackenzie Turner as Amber Von Tussle, Mikala Powell as Velma Von Tussle, Sarah Tatum as Penny Pingleton, Khadijah Jones as Motormouth Maybelle, Terrance Morrow as Seaweed J. Stubbs, and Caleb Tolin as Corny Collins.
The class decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first graduating class of OHS by choosing Hairspray. Lead Grace Huskins, playing Tracy Turnblad, says, “It [the musical] is exciting because it is like a class project for us and the choral department has never done something like this before.”
Nicky Vassello, playing Edna Turnblad, says, “I think the musical will go pretty well. We’re preparing for the show by having rehearsals any chance we can get.”
Hairspray celebrates the life of a young Tracy Turnblad as she tries to fulfill her dancing dreams by getting on the Corny Collins Show with all the other dancers. However, that upsets some of the other dancers who think she is trying to take their spotlight. It is a drama-filled romantic comedy in the form of a swinging musical.
OHS hosted a choral concert on March 21, 2013, which started at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. In the words of Edward Marsh, it was “aca-rocking!”
Overall, the concert was classy and fun. Solemn, hauntingly beautiful songs were intermixed with upbeat, popular hits. The Treble Choir showcased their talent singing traditional acappella songs, such as “Lollipop” and “Kyrie Eleison.” Even with only nine weeks of work, the natural gift of the girls shone through.
The Treble Choir was followed by the Concert Choir, whose four songs were incredibly perfect to display their talent in harmonizing. The wordless beginning to “If I Loved You” from the musical “Carousel” was aca-amazing. They really rocked the house with their soulful rendition of “Home On That Rock.” Snapping and an emphatic solo from the men were mixed through the song.
The Madrigal Singers filed onto the stage next, looking very elegant in the black and white attire that is required of everyone in the
The Beginning Choir started off the festivities with an upbeat rendition of “Bidi Bom.” It was followed by “Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer,” in which props were used. Everyone donned reindeer antlers or Santa hats. There were very cute hijinks by Matt Lewis and Montee Mitchell, who were the soloists.The Concert Choir took the stage next, looking very professional in black and white. “Light the Candles of Freedom” is a very heartwarming song that was followed by a timeless favorite, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”
Madrigal singers continued the concert. “Ule Lume Lagedala” is a tongue-twisting Estonian song that invites the listeners to join the singers on a sleigh ride.
“Ose Shalom” is a harmonic and reverent prayer for peace in Hebrew. “What Child is This?” was acapella and haunting.
“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” was stunning, the colorful effects by Nathan Tilley and Jay Huskins were great. Set up like a dramatic play or ballet, the boys puppeted the women as they harmonized.
“Born, Born in Bethlehem,” sung by the men of the Concert Choir with soloist Austin Prebula, reminded me of the smooth tone of Elvis.“Jingle Bell Rock” was a swinging and rocking song sung by the Beginning Men.
“Baby It’s Cold Outside” was an interesting tale sung and acted by Grace Huskins and Caleb Tolin that took a sudden twist. It began the regular way where the man entreats the woman to stay but the tables became flipped when she began to harass him.
“Jing-a-Ling, Jing-a-Ling” was a crowd favorite. Benjamin Peckman, Huskins, and Scott were naughty and were dragged to the stage tobe turned nice. Tinsel and bows and coal were draped over the men while the bouncy and amusing Madrigal women sang to them.Terrance Morrow serenaded the audience with “This Christmas” using a sky high falsetto, accompanied by Thane Morrow on piano and Marquiese Morrow on the drums.
“Twelve (...or so...?) Days of Christmas” was hilarious. The Madrigal men confused themselves and the audience when they combined a couple of Christmas and Hanukkah classics.
All groups joined together to sing the last four songs, celebrating the closeness the holidays bring. “Carol of the Bells” was an a capella masterpiece, “Jazzy Old Saint Nick” had a cute twist on an old favorite, and “Let There Be Peace on Earth” contained a beautiful message sung by soloist Anjalisa Cates. Everyone was invited to sing along at the end of “Christmas Wish,” a beautiful end to a beautiful concert.
The Orange High Choral Department performed their first concert of the year October 9, showcasing the three chorus classes in the fall semester. The performance, which took place in the OHS auditorium, was seen by many as most of the seats were filled with expectant parents, fellow students, and teachers.The show started promptly at 7 pm when Choral Director Jane Williams started the show, welcoming the audience and gesturing for the first group of students to take the stage.
The Beginning Choir started the concert with a bang with the spiritual song Ezekial Saw The Wheel. Songs sung in Latin was a trend this year as the Beginning Choir sang three songs in the language, Kyrie, Adoramus Te, and Gloria In Excelsis. They ended their group set with a high energy Swahili song Tuimbe which featured lots of movement from the choir. The men then left and the women of the Beginning Choir sang their version of "The Path to the Moon."
The Choir Concert followed the Beginning Choir, singing "Gloria Deo!" to get the audience entranced in their vocal stylings. "For the Beauty of the Earth" was performed next, but the real treat was the upbeat West African Playground Song Sansa Kroma led by Jalesa Parker, Jessica Lewis, Angalisa Cates, and Carson Regan. The song was very energetic and featured a call and response section that made the audience want to dance, so much so that some members of the audience proceeded to do so. The women of the Concert Choir, like the women of the Beginning Choir, ended their set by singing the Scottish Lullabye "Wee Croodin’ Doo."
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/51258802[/vimeo]
The Madrigal Women performed next, transitioning to the Madrigal performances, as they sung the brief but hauntingly beautiful Latin song In Monte Oliveti. The Madrigal group then sang four songs: "Zion’s Walls", "Soon Ah Will Be Done", another Latin song Insanae et Vanae Curae, and the upbeat, soulful rendition of "Standing in the Need of Prayer." Senior Grace Huskins was the featured voice for these songs as she took the spot of first soprano, meaning that she contrasted the voice of the choir with her high range singing.
The Madrigal women thus proceeded to sing the 2 and a Half Men theme song "Man, Man, Man", a rendition that was delightfully
A large group of Beginning Choir men performed "My Girl", featuring solos by Aiden Farrel and Davis Scott, much to the delight of the crowd, who went crazy with excitement upon hearing the opening chords of the song. The choreographed group dance was adorable and perhaps one of the most entertaining performances.
A quartet performed next, singing the Chris Brown song "All Back." The group featured Antreona Bradsher, Deia Green, Marquiese Morrow, and Terrance Morrow, who sung the song a capella. Their rendition was classically soulful and very well done. It was one of the best performances of the night.
The Madrigal Men retook the stage as they performed their last piece, "In The Still of The Night", made popular by the boy band Boys II Men. Terrance Morrow also had a solo in this song as well, providing accents of flair with his high ranging voice.The show wrapped up with all of the choral groups performing one last song: "We’re the Choir", appropriately. The exuberant, high energy finale got the attention of the crowd as they cheered along with the choir.
“I thought it was fabulous,” said audience member Tami Frenduto. “My favorite [song] was 'Standing in the Need of Prayer', but they all did great.”
With such a great start to the 2012-2013 school year, audiences are sure to be excited for the annual Winter Concert, which will be held in December.