The choir program performed its first show of the year, Cabaret Night, on Oct. 3 at the Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Preparations began in early August. Students of all choir levels learned to read and memorize the music. Rhapsody in Blue prepared for a five minute choreography, practicing pacing and position. Soloists auditioned for a spot in the show with a song of their choice, and if the song fit the show’s theme, it would be selected for soloists to perform.
“I did a duet with [senior] Justin [Maestas] to the song ‘You’re the One That I Want’ from Grease,” senior Savannah Castenadas said. “We picked this song because it complimented our voices well, and we just wanted to do a fun and upbeat song that would be entertaining for the audience.”
The songs selected for the concert aimed to cater to both the audience and performers. For example, ‘Danger Zone’ from Top Gun and ‘Greased Lightning’ from Grease, both sung by the Men’s Ensemble, were picked as a throwback to the 1980s. ‘Backstage Romance’ from the musical Moulin Rouge was selected for Rhapsody in Blue because its mashups of popular songs by modern artists like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears offered a sense of familiarity for the performers.
“‘[Backstage Romance]’ was probably the big hit of the concert,” choir director Andrew Perez said. “It was a song that everyone knew but had a fresh take to it, so that was exciting [as] it wasn’t something they had done before.”
According to Perez, besides trying to select music from films and musicals, an underlying theme in selecting all the songs was the concept of suspension of disbelief. Mustang Singers performed “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as the first song to allow the audience to settle in and embrace this idea.
“When picking each song, I was trying to invite the audience into a different world where they can get away from everything else,” Perez said. “‘[Pure Imagination]’ was inviting them into a world of imagination, telling you to forget everything else and come into our world of disbelief and let them hear these songs.”
With Cabaret Night completed, choir is currently planning for its winter concert, which will be held in early December. Perez hopes to use the experience from his first concert at Walnut to continue tailoring the program to the students’ needs.
“I think the biggest thing is just that I’m proud of what the kids did on their own and what they pulled off,” Perez said. “I always say that concerts are not possible without them. I can do all the work. I can teach them everything, but, you know, teachers are nothing without their students and acquire nothing without their kids.”
