With the arrival of the winter holiday season, choir and orchestra members alike helped to bring festive spirit to the Carlmont community as they hosted their tenth annual Holiday Sing Along.
Choir students performed 17 songs, while the orchestra performed three songs from The Nutcracker. Choir students led the sing-along and audience members, provided with lyric sheets, joined in. Simultaneously, other choir members dressed as elves pranced through rows of seats in the audience.
According to Genevieve Tep, the choir director, choir has done this event every year for over 10 years.
“In addition to being a fun experience for me, sing-alongs are a way to unite the community,” said Britt Brown, mother of Carlmont senior and choir council co-president Haley Brown.
Britt Brown appreciated the uplifting that the songs brought. She believes events like the Sing Along can help to bring people together.
“Especially after coming out of the pandemic, coming together and being able to sing are things we took for granted. We can connect more through events like these,” Britt Brown said.
Choir members shared similar sentiments regarding the communal aspect.
“I love sing-alongs. They have always been popular in the choir,” said Ryu Shukla, a Carlmont junior and representative for the Highlander choir. “Participating in sing-alongs is a community experience.”
Haley Brown sang “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and utilized singing methods to promote audience engagement.
“I wanted to get everyone to sing, and I tried to make my voice louder every time I said ‘five golden rings,'” Haley Brown said.
Halfway through the 17-song event, the chamber orchestra played an assortment of songs from The Nutcracker, such as Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker Suite, Op 71a.” As notes of the violin, cello, and trumpet carried throughout the Performing Arts Center, Marlo Lewis, co-president of the choir council, played the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and performed a dance akin to the sugar plum dance in the Nutcracker ballet.
“My studio doesn’t do the sugar plum dance, so this was my only chance to do it. It was enjoyable to perform,” Lewis said.
Shortly after Lewis’s performance, attendees could take pictures with her.
“It was so nice to see how the kids’ faces brightened when they saw the ballerina,” Haley Brown said.
After Lewis’s dance, the choir sang a few more songs, concluding the event with Santa’s appearance. The final song was “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
The event helped to generate holiday excitement for everyone involved. Kids could not wait for the winter holidays to begin as they sang and cheered along with every song.
“It’s all about making sure the children have fun. I’m happy that everyone who came enjoyed it. Being here was a fun way to start the winter season,” Lewis said.
