By: Owen Fugit

Editor-in-Chief

On Mar. 7, the LGHS Mixed and Treble choirs traveled to San Jose State University for their annual Choral Invitational. The event featured select high school ensembles from the San Jose area performing for SJSU’s artist-in-residence, Dr. Angel Vázquez-Ramos. After hearing a choir perform, Vázquez-Ramos worked directly with each group on their tone, dynamics, pitch, and stage presence to perfect their repertoire for upcoming shows. SJSU’s invitational offered a unique experience to collaborate with a highly qualified university-level choral director and vocal coach in a wonderful space, which students found exciting. Senior Thien Mai enjoyed the invitational because “it was fun to [perform] up there in front of other schools…it’s a very interesting experience.” LGHS used the invitational as an opportunity to perform pieces for their concert held nearly a week after the invitational on Mar. 11.

At the Fisher-Los Gatos combined concert, middle school singers sang for and with their high school counterparts in combined ensembles under the direction of Fisher’s Corey Miller and LGHS’s Ma. Ricel Riley. Middle school groups opened the show, performing six songs in total across three separate choirs: the Treble Choir, featuring upper-register voices, Cambiata, featuring lower-register singers, and Bel Canto, an audition choir for upper-register singers. After the middle school performances, LGHS took the stage, beginning with the Wildcat Tenor-Bass choir. The A Capella club followed, who performed two songs that singers learned independently from regular choir classes during breaks and after school. Both Mixed choir, an audition choir featuring all voices, and Concert choir performed together, singing three songs covering vastly different genres. LGHS’s award-winning Treble choir concluded the high school-only choral performances, and the night ended with a special combined performance consisting of singers from all the Fisher choirs and all the LGHS choirs. Senior Daisy Tuckfield explained, “I did like the music [because] we had a lot of old favorites…some nostalgic songs from my sophomore year.” She added, “It was fun to see how we improved.”

Several singers noted how the concert seemed hurried compared to previous concerts. Senior Shaurya Banjara said, “Overall, this has been one of the most rushed concerts we’ve had, but we all did our best near the end…I mean we actually did a pretty good job.” Banjara said he enjoyed singing with everyone. One of his favorite songs of the night was a Fisher and LGHS combined choir song, “The Power of the Dream,” arranged by Bob Krogstad. Reflecting on the performance with Fisher, junior Callan Robison said,“[I believe] Fisher choirs are going to go far, and I can’t wait to see them in our choir.” 

The annual Music Boosters community cookout on May 11 will be the final public choral performance of the year by LGHS choirs, so be sure to attend and support the Choral music program at LGHS!