Saratoga - Annual Fall Choral Concert at Saratoga High School - Melody Zhang

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Annual Fall Choral Concert at Saratoga High School - Melody Zhang

The Saratoga High School and Redwood Middle School came together on November 7 for the annual Fall Choral Concert. The concert was proudly held in Saratoga High’s two-year old McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center.

The theater was packed with excited relatives and friends except for the front few rows; many people lined the walls.

This year’s Fall Choral Concert seemed to include many more upbeat and light songs than in years past.

Starting off with a sudden sweep of his arms, the Saratoga High Choral Director Jim Yowell opened the concert with the Concert Choir singing a harmonious piece called Triptych: Consecrate the Day, by Lloyd Pfautsch.

This was then followed by Sancta Maria by W. A. Mozart which was also accompanied by a string ensemble. The ensemble consisted of Saratoga String Orchestra members Jennifer Wey, Kevin Hsu, Shawyon Malek-Salehi, and Vivian Fu on violin; Brian Tang and Cindy Chang on viola, and Emily Hur and Kimberly Hui on cello.

The third piece was Mata del anima sola by Antonio Estevez. A mysterious selection, it featured two tenor soloists, Bryant Bea and Chris Renalds, who sang beautifully.

The last piece sung by the Concert Choir was “Kyrie” by Glenn McClure. Strangely haunting yet catchy, the exciting tempo highlighted Ashton Craig on kettle drums and Ryan Kerin on drum set.

After the Concert Choir was the Men’s Choir who sang two pieces with Saratoga High’s Instrumental Director John Zarco on conga drums, Ryan Kerin on claves, and Angela Lee on flute for the song Yellow Bird, arranged by Dan Davision. The laughable lyrics of Yellow Bird describing a thwarted love caused the audience to chuckle more than once.

Then the Redwood Honor Chorus, directed by Vicki Wyant took the stage with two pieces which showcased the young yet talented singers. Although much smaller than the previous groups, the young middle school students sang with as much enthusiasm as the high school students did.

Following the Redwood Honor Chorus was the Chamber Singers, then the Women’s Chorale, and finally all the choirs combined together on the stage for the last, inspirational song Why We Sing by Greg Gilpin.