The Upper School fall choral concert, themed “Resonant Resilience,” was hosted in Ruby Auditorium on Dec. 11. The program showcased performances by Jazz Singers, Wolverine Chorus, Bel Canto and Chamber Singers.
The choral ensemble teacher Zanaida Robles said that she wants students to improve their confidence in expressing their emotions through music and feel a sense of enjoyment during the concert.
“I hope the students felt more confident in their abilities to be expressive and had fun singing together as a community,” Robles said. “I also hope they felt enjoyment in having a successful performance that we can all be proud of.”
Jazz Singer is a student led choir group that meets during directed study and additional rehearsals during office hours and lunch. Jazz Singer Co-director Ellie Liou said that she is grateful for the Jazz Singer member’s time commitment and the effort they put into to make the concert the best.
“Although it was a fun and exciting time filled with performances, I recognize the large time commitment and work that was required of everyone,” Liou said. “I’m really grateful everyone banded together to sing our best!”
Jazz Singers and Chamber Singers member Ryan Choi ’27 said he hopes the audience felt the choir’s dedication and feeling of resilience through their singing.
“Our choir has worked very hard for the past couple of months on our repertoire and I hope that the audience felt the effort and dedication of all our choir participants and Dr. Robles,” Choi said. “I hope that we were able to share a feeling of resilience through music and also some holiday cheer.”
Chamber Singers member Miley Lee ’28 said she felt a special connection with other singers during the concert as she was on stage.
“I felt connected to my classmates the moment we stepped on stage,” Lee said. “You could tell everyone cared for singing and leaving a good impression of the program.”
The choirs have been preparing for this choral concert since the start of the school year. Bel Canto singer Chrissy Kim ’28 said although she felt hesitation in the performance at first, after hearing the applause, she felt ease and pride of Bel Canto’s effort into the performance.
“I wasn’t expecting much applause because after every song, I felt a millisecond of doubt and regret for my performance,” Kim said. “I thought, ‘Ah, I couldn’t get that right,’ and felt disappointed because of how much practice I put into our set. However, when I heard the clapping and applause after our songs, I felt that regret turn into pride because of the very same memories of practicing with my peers during our free time. We were able to convey our hard work to the audience and made a great connection with the listeners.”
Chamber Singers sang The Summit Is Nigh by Dr. Robles herself. Choi said singing a song composed by the choir director was purposeful.
“Singing Dr. Robles’ composition of the Summit is Nigh was particularly meaningful,” Choi said. “We were proud to sing her song and wanted her to be proud of our performance as well.”
Robles said that preparing for the choral concert built resilience and confidence, aligning with the concert’s theme, “Resonant Resilience.”
“The students had to work really hard in the face of challenging skills that needed to be built,” Robles said. “It’s difficult to learn a piece you’ve never sung before and then perform it from memory alongside your peers in a way that requires vulnerability and the willingness to show a part of yourself artistically. I think that process builds resilience and confidence.”
