On Monday, December 11, Vallivue High School’s annual Christmas Choir concert, directed by Corrina Steinbach, took place with incredible results. The Christmas concert is structured slightly differently than other choir concerts throughout the year, as Steinbach gives the younger groups a valuable opportunity to sing specific songs with the varsity choirs in hopes that they will gain confidence and other valuable skills from the experience.

With this in mind, the concert began with a gorgeous processional, including all choir groups, including Beginning Choir, Concert Choir, Select Treble, Advanced Womens, Advanced Mens, and Choral Edition, and beginning with the song “Noel, Sing Noel.” After this, Steinbach conducted “The Holly and the Ivy,” a collective tenor/bass piece, as well as “Snow on Snow,” a piece sung by all the female singers. 

After the opening, the concert continued to include pieces sung by each of the six choirs. In choosing which songs each group should perform, Steinbach attempted to include a “mix of traditional Christmas music, along with pieces filled with humor and some that are more thought provoking” to appeal to all of the audience members and provide a variety of music throughout the concert.  

In addition to these group songs, the individual members of Choral Edition were allowed to perform individually or in small groups. This was an important and exciting opportunity for each of the singers to grow individually in confidence and regard for their unique voices. The audience, as well as the other choir members, were amazed at some of the incredible talent showcased by these students.

Towards the end of the concert, Steinbach allowed the varsity choirs to sing together. She believes that “music should be relevant and create a connection as well as draw in empathy.” Because of this, one of the songs chosen for the varsity choirs was “Bashana Haba’ah,” a Hebrew piece that was, though less conventional, an important reminder of the war happening in Israel, speaking of hope for the next year, despite the difficult year many have had. This song was performed in hopes of connecting to those who may have had a rough year and giving them optimism for the future.

As the finale of the concert, all members of the Vallivue High School choir gathered on the stage, accompanied by members of the orchestra, to sing the Hallelujah Chorus. This song is sung as an annual tradition for the choir, providing the perfect opportunity to invite alumni from the choir program to join the younger singers on stage for the song, rekindling, as Steinbach stated, the “idea of Legacy in VHS Choirs.”

Altogether, the concert was a success, leaving the audience in awe of the talent and hard work put into the performance.