CHS Music Department Presents Spring Concert

On Wednesday, May 9, family members and friends, old and young gathered together for the Coventry High School Music Department’s annual Spring Concert.

The evening began with director Lisa Masse leading the Concert Chorus in its rendition of the nation's “Star Spangled Banner”, followed by a slower version of “Can You Hear”. The group's next song, “Sinner Man” used a more upbeat tempo used to highlight the male voices within the chorus and was then followed by a more contemporary and modern piece called “Just The Way You Are” highlighting two soloists, Ricky Ordet and Scott Oliver. Before their last song, the seniors of the chorus presented Masse with flowers out of appreciation.

As the Concert Chorus left the stage, the curtain opened to unveil Jazz Ensemble and Director William Smith, who began the performance with an exciting announcement regarding the prospect of the group. Smith announced that Jazz Ensemble would be recognized as a full-credit class next year as opposed to the after-school activity status it has held in the past.

The ensemble played an array of songs ranging from “Cantaloupe Island”, to “Mack The Knife”, finished off with “Dat Dere”. Each song highlighted not only one but multiple different instruments and students.

Next up was the Select Choir dressed to impress in their red and white robes who began with an acapella piece called “Hello Young Lovers” led by director Brad DeGraide. The choir continued onto a piece called “Eternal Father Strong To Save”, which included a emphasized quartet. The next performance, “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”, was an upbeat piece that was used to highlight the contrast between the male and female voices within the choir. “Over The Rainbow” presented the audience with an opening of a sophomore soloist, Zoe Michalopoulos. The last performance by the audition-only group was a piece chosen from the hit musical RENT called “Finale B (No Day But Today)”, which began with a solo by Patrick Shea.

The last act incorporated the Concert Band who covered a range of selections from “Encanto”, to “Variations Of A Korean Folk Song”, and concluded the concert with “Africa: Ceremony, Song And Ritual”. During the performance, band members began small and slowly built up to incorporate the entire band in its entirety.

Each section of the concert took a moment to highlight a few of the twenty nine graduating seniors integrated within the Coventry High School Music Department.