By Stephen Smoot
On a near perfect night marked by the briefly unseasonably warm temperatures and the march of expected rain to the north, the Moorefield High School Choir provided a performance that would have even warmed the heart of Krampus or Ebeneezer Scrooge.
Over the past two years, the group has collected hardware from multiple competitions, including a first place trophy from an event at Kings Dominion. Those arriving to hear the performance saw a table full of awards, giving all an idea of the high quality of the music awaiting them.
At seven o’ clock, over a hundred attendees who packed the front half of the MHS auditorium heard the opening of the “Sounds of Christmas Winter Choral Concert.” Welcoming all was the angelic voice of the night’s first soloist, Melody Baker. She introduced the fun Hawaiian Chritsmas classic made famous first over the radio, and then on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Mele Kalikimaka.
Upon the song’s conclusion, Sarah Widder Imboden, the director, welcomed those in attendance, then introduced the second selection of the evening. Once again, Baker regaled the crowd with her solo during the fun and lively Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.
The program often switched gears in terms of tone, moving from fun and frivolity to the sentimental and traditional. Imboden shared that “we have a fun evening of holiday classics planned for you!”
Next came a soft, soulful, and beautifully harmonious traditional performance of Silent Night. Emily Haggerty and Kaden Berg hit each precise note perfectly during their solo, then Haggerty ‘s descant sublimely punctuating the closing of the tune along with the full choir.
Maya Shingleton then assumed the mantle of soloist, filling the auditorium with a hauntingly lovely performance of the modern classic of faith, Mary Did You Know? Her voice reached elegant heights as she sang of the miracles that the infant Jesus would accomplish later in life.
Then came the shift from exquisite expressions of faith to the rollicking and joyful We Need a Little Christmas. Keira Cornett and Shingleton tackled the faster pace of this tune as soloists, supported ably by the full choir.
After this, Imboden took the opportunity to praise her “small, but mighty” assemblage of artists, saying also “we are very blessed with a talented group.” In each song of the night, the collective voices of the choir always gave more than the mere sum of their parts.
One of the most charming solos of the evening came from Kaden Berg as he performed You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. His voice took on the deep and gritty tones of the original singer for the television special, Boris Karloff, including at times his old fashioned Mid Atlantic Standard accent. His voice danced ably over and around the tough to navigate, fast paced diction peppered with delightfully disgusting lyrics that have made generations of children giggle.
Gears shifted again, however. In an addition so last minute that it did not make the program, Shingleton surprised the room with a solid and powerful singing of the most popular song in the history of recorded music, Bing Crosby’s White Christmas.
Now Shingleton of course could not replicate the deep, smooth baritone of the classic crooner Cosby, but she related a softer and very heartfelt version. It contrasted as much with Crosby’s singing, in a good way, as Berg’s performance of Karloff was spot on, also in a good way!
The fun continued when Caroline Auville and Jedediah Blizzard took the solo stage to belt out Run, Rudolph, Run, with Audriauna Marquess carrying the descant gracefully. She then took the stage as a soloist to wow attendees with a rendition of O’ Holy Night, a song most associated with the powerful voice of Celine Dion.
While few are Celine Dion, Marquess’s voice soared as she ably delivered the powerful notes behind the lyric “O’ night divine.” Then the show concluded with that incredible hymn that looks at the Christmas miracle from the perspective of childlike wonder, The Little Drummer Boy.
Imboden shared at the conclusion “they have worked so hard. I think they’ve done a fantastic job.” The rest of the young artists who brought their talents to the stage included Jayden Moran, Cadence Brent, and Brianna Bobo.
After the short, but certainly sweet concert, attendees came away with a bit more Christmas spirit than they walked in with, thanks to the talented and joyfilled performance given by the Moorefield High School Choir.
