The Washington High School spring choir concert will be held Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. in the Historic Washington Auditorium on East Temple Street.
The concert is “Broadway: Then and Now” and will additionally serve as “Senior Night” for choral students. It will be a fun-filled evening with music that all generations will recognize, according to vocal music director Jared Joseph at Washington High School (WHS). The WHS women’s chorus, men’s chorus, symphonic choir, vocal ensemble, and some specialty acts (including seniors) will perform during the event.
“When programming a concert, I strive to incorporate different styles, genres and texts so that the students broaden their musical appreciation and so the audience is led on a journey that is not all the same throughout,” Joseph said. “Many of the students in our vocal music program said they wanted to sing Broadway music for our spring concert, hence the theme. A concert program is one of my favorite things to explore as a director. After all, music is the choir’s ‘textbook’ and we learn musical concepts and theory through our repertoire. There are songs in this concert from the 1950s, 1970s, 1990s, and 2010s.”
Some songs will make patrons laugh, others may cause them to cry, according to Joseph, and the audience is encouraged to sing along to the songs they recognize. These Broadway songs have such poignant texts that directly relate to today’s audience. Additionally, there will be desserts and water available as a celebration of the Washington High School Vocal Music Department’s successful year, and next year’s Washington High School musical will be officially announced during this concert. Joseph encourages the community to join them for a night of entertainment that everyone will not want to miss.
“The choirs have performed all year, from a fall retreat in Cincinnati to a Hope for Recovery concert that addressed the opioid epidemic, to helping premiere the Washington Court House Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along in December, to earning two superior ratings at the state contest (both Symphonic Choir in class A and Men’s Chorus). These five seniors in both symphonic and vocal ensemble have been phenomenal all year. I cannot say enough about their wonderful leadership styles and how together they have helped bring the choirs. These students are ready to share these songs with an audience.”
Three seniors also took time to comment about the vocal music program and the upcoming concert:
“Men’s chorus and symphonic choir worked hard to earn a superior at the state contest, and we have continued that work ethic as we have prepared for this fun, energizing Broadway concert,” senior Corey Dublin said. “Please join us!”
“This is an incredibly diverse concert full of fun repertoire that everyone will enjoy,” senior Maria Pickerill said.
“We’ve watched everyone improve so much this past year,” senior Sabra Hines said.
The information in this article was provided by Washington High School Vocal Music Director Jared Joseph.
