When the sky reached evening, the collective group of voices sent songs to the audience like a letter. With strings, drums and keys being played — a choir of voices were raised in a soft serenade. Sopranos that soar into the light, altos blended into the starry night. Tenors that echo in bright sound, baritones ground the choir deep and profound. The music reached many souls, embracing the air as harmonies filled the room.
The voices of Las Positas’ assorted choirs filled the halls of the Barbara Mertes Center throughout the evening of May 8. The spring semester Chamber Choir and various vocal ensembles had prepared for an entire semester to showcase their arrangements and hard work at the concert.
One of the various vocal ensembles that starred at the concert was the student-led group BayBop, which performed an assortment of songs. They performed “Painted on Canvas” by Gregory Porter and “Orange Colored Sky” by Milton Delugg and Willie Stein, just to name a few. BayBop had previously performed part of their setlist at a festival on campus to prepare for concert night. Isabella Pacheco mentioned how they’ve been preparing since the beginning of the semester in January.
“I love connecting with the audience because I know what these songs mean and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. It’s really just portraying the piece and what it’s supposed to mean,” Pacheco said. “I think we did so well tonight. This was our best run through of all the songs and since it’s our last one, we just went out with a bang”.
From auditions to the big stage, the various choir ensembles spent the entire semester honing their craft to prepare for the big stage. Director Andreas Preponis got to know the students and their voices throughout the semester, picked pieces he felt would suit their musicality level and worked with them until they felt comfortable with their pieces. From there, he was able to craft a setlist for the concert that was presented to the audience.
“I pick repertoire that I think works for their level and their level of musicianship, but also for their specific voice type. For this (setlist), I chose songs that have some sort of color reference to make it a sort of theme,” Preponis said. “Once we get into tech week, we really just focus on doing sound checks and figuring out entries and exits, and it’s really just putting the puzzle pieces together, and then it’s showtime.”
With such big stages, it was normal that many performers felt the pre-performance jitters. Each student had their own routine for settling nerves. Whether meditating or doing vocal exercises, every performer appeared on the shining stage smiling. Kathryn Taylor, a member of the Las Positas Chamber Choir and BayBop, shared her love for the stage even as someone who previously had stage fright.
“The more you do it, the more you just get used to it, love it, and feed off it. I mean, the audience is where all that energy comes from that you get to work with. You just do whatever you have to do to fill this need in the storytelling of the song and that means you have to be fully engaged, fully vulnerable in that, and it’s hard,” Taylor said. “However, it’s the most rewarding thing because of how much you give and how much you get back in return, so really it’s just wonderful.”
As the night reached its end, alumni from the program who attended the concert were invited back on the stage to perform ”Until We Meet Again” by Ronald M. Kean and Irish Traditional. Preponis mentions that all alumni will always be welcome back on the stage to perform the song with the students.
As the night concluded, ”Purple Rain” by Prince and the music was arranged by Preponis. This song had a lot of emotional meaning for the performers as the lyrics held special meaning to them. As the song reached its end, so did the concert.
A loud applause echoed through the theater, congratulating the performers on their hard work and performance.
TOP PHOTO: LPC student Olivia Flores on the main stage of the Barbara Mertes Center for the Arts, May 9. As part of the choral concert, Flores performs ‘Orange Colored Sky’ by Milton Delugg (Photo by Angelina An/The Express)
Angelina An is a staff writer for The Express. Follow her on X, formally Twitter, @angiebee_919
