“Bonse aba, mu pokelela, Ba lipele maka akuba bana,” sang Grace Childers, sophomore soloist. Her words echoed momentarily in the otherwise silent auditorium until the Vocal Ensemble responded in unison.
“Bonse Aba,” arranged by Andrew Fischer, was the opening song for Vocal Ensemble, the closing choir for this year’s Fall Concert. The Zambian song, sung in the native language of Bemba is emblematic of the diverse night of music prepared for the audience by Charlotte Bird, choir director. Her program was filled with songs that utilized multiple languages; had themes of spirituality, freedom, and love; were sung in rounds, call-and-response, and three-part harmonies; and even melodized the written words of American poets such as Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe. The various tunes were sung a capella as well as accompanied by traditional piano, pre-recorded karaoke tracks, and guest performers Connor Meyer of the orchestra on cello and Vinnie Storer of the band on flute.
The evening began with choir members reading prepared remarks reminding the crowd of concert etiquette and was followed by the Beginning Choir performing three songs. Their finale was “The Road Not Taken” by one of America’s most famous poets, Robert Frost, winner of four Pulitzer Prizes. A member of the choir read to the audience a brief blurb about each song before it was performed, letting the audience know the history of each tune and its theme. The Beginning Choir was followed by solos from members of the Vocal Ensemble. A link to the night’s program can be found here.
The last soloist before Concert Choir took the stage was Viveca Fredell, sophomore, who is at Thunderbird this year only as an exchange student. Her a capella rendition of “Forever Young,” (the only English words in an otherwise entirely Swedish song) blew the audience away, resulting in enthusiastic applause and a half-standing ovation even though the night was just beginning.
The Concert Choir sang four songs, also ending with an arrangement of a poem: “Banks of Doon” by Scottish poet Robert Burns. Their standout song was “Come to Me, Oh My Love,” composed by Allan Robert Petker. The song is sung as a round, with each section of the choir singing different lyrics at the same time in three-part chordal harmony. Despite the difficulty, they nailed the performance, drawing an extended round of applause from the crowd. The three soloists following this choir sang contemporary songs by LeAnn Rimes, Adele, and Billie Eilish, whose “idontwannabeyouanymore” was hauntingly performed by Amelia Pine, junior.
Childers sang the final solo of the night before starting the Vocal Ensemble performance as the primary soloist in “Bonse Aba,” showing off her vocal abilities for two straight tunes. Vocal Ensemble, this year’s largest choir, ended their three-song performance with another arrangement of a poem: “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe, a poem of love so pure and strong that, in true Poe style, it gets ravaged and twisted by mental health. Also sung a capella, the poem-turned-song struck a chord with the adults in the audience, most of whom had to read the poem when they were in high school.
The evening ended with all three choirs combining on stage to debut the Thunderbird Alma Mater. An alma mater is a school spirit song, much like a fight song performed by bands and belted out by crowds at sporting events, except that the alma mater is generally more somber and nostalgic. Prior to this year, Thunderbird did not have an alma mater, so Director Bird asked Principal Jason Latham if she could write one for our school, and he agreed. The large, combined choir–proud of their director’s composition–added grandeur to the alma mater, stunning the crowd into a brief silence before showing their approval with a resounding ovation.
The next chance to see the choirs perform will be on Dec. 2, which is their Christmas concert. Bird says it is her “favorite concert of the year.” Anyone wishing to hear vocal performances before then is invited to attend the Arizona Arts Seal recital on Nov. 6 where seniors Sienna Meyer, Alma Jacobsen, and Hunter Schneider will be performing in order to obtain a special seal on their diplomas. “They’re all super talented, so it’s going to be amazing, and I highly encourage people to come,” said Bird.
