Hillsborough High School Choral Winter Concert
On Thursday, January 9th, HHS Choir held their annual Winter Concert in Hillsborough High School’s auditorium. The program consisted of four elite ensembles with the addition of several combined-concert performances. The groups included: Concert Choir, Treble Chorale, Mixed Chorale, as well as the brand-new tenor and bass choir, Undertones! Once the singers were warmed-up and the house lights were dimmed, eager family members, friends, and alumni gathered in the auditorium to witness music come to life.
The performances began with Concert Choir, the beginner ensemble at the high school that allows students to grasp the physical foundations of singing, sight-singing and the mechanics of music. The group opened with “Khulula Imbadada,” a fun rhythmic South African folk song that got the audience moving their feet! With following songs like “Winter Moon” and “Jubilate Deo,” this choir was the perfect representation of what energy, presence, and musicianship would be like from the HHS Choir family.
Hillsborough High School’s Concert Choir
Up next, the stellar Treble Chorale! This selective group features sopranos and altos and is an advanced ensemble at the high school that study music theory, advanced sight singing, and develop choral sound and individual musicianship. This ensemble’s repertoire ranged from the eccentric and rhythmic sound of “Egyetem Begyetem,” to the melodic soothing sound of “For the Beauty of the Earth.” This female powerhouse ensemble demonstrated the power of music when one finds unity and balance in their sound.
Hillsborough High School’s Treble Chorale singing in action.
This Winter Concert brought along the introduction of a new ensemble to HHS Choir family: Undertones! This is HHS Choir’s first ever tenor and bass choir. Undertones brought the party to the stage by lighting up the night with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Contrastingly, this group also brought tears to the audience as they sang “Tell My Father;” a dramatic song that brought the reality of war into strikingly personal terms, as a young soldier sings of his father and his own mortality. This ensemble was definitely a crowd favorite and will not be leaving any time soon.
Hillsborough High School’s Undertones bringing down the house with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
HHS Choir’s Mixed Chorale was the next ensemble to perform. This is a selective vocal ensemble at HHS that emphasizes a refined performance of choral literature in Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass (SATB) voices. Their performance set consisted of a variety of choral works that showcased complex rhythms, instantaneous dynamic expression, and musical phrasing that made the audience lean in to the music. Mixed Chorale’s “Afternoon on a Hill” paired exquisitely with the pianist accompaniment, performed by Mr. Lubrano. The combination of wind and improvised tones in complete aleatory engulfed the audience’s senses and demonstrated the advanced musicianship at Hillsborough High School.
Hillsborough High School’s Mixed Chorale
After all the ensembles performed, all choir students gather for one last time to rejoice in a couple songs that defined the strength of community both in and out of the classroom setting. With performances like “Still I Rise” and “Draw the Circle Wide,” audiences recognized the power of love and the importance of including people where they are instead of them having to change in order to be accepted. The concert concluded with the “Hallelujah Chorus.” At this time, alumni, friends and family were invited up to stage to sing with the choirs in a joint experience that demonstrated the power music has in connecting everyone and anyone from across the world.
The HHS Choral Program is under the direction of Ms. LoBiondo and was accompanied by pianist, James Lubrano. HHS Choir will hold their Choral Spring Concert on May 28th at 7pm.