Virgin Valley High School music students in choir, orchestra and guitar performed their Holiday concert, “Sounds of the Season,” at the Mesquite Community Theater Monday evening filling the auditorium with holiday music. 

Students in the VVHS orchestra, guitar and choir all entertained performing several numbers for each ensemble under the direction of Marie Palmer. The evening opened with the chamber orchestra presenting two pieces, Concerto Grosso Op.6, No 8 (The Christmas Concerto), and A Solitary Wish. 

The Chamber Choir then came out to sing and dance to Zat You, Santa Clause? and Baby It’s Cold Outside.  

Karicma Speer is a sophomore in chamber choir at VVHS. She has been singing since elementary school up until the present time. She also has played flute in band for a couple years.  

“In choir, I like to perform the older songs when we can,” Speer said. “They are fun and kind of upbeat. This is show choir and everyone wants to do something fun. Choir opens up a huge genre of music for you. Once you start choir move you around from old rock, to old classic and music like that. It is like history, but not boring like reading a textbook. We get to sing and act out the songs they performed in the past.”  

Speer also said that music is really important in life as it expresses emotion and feelings.  

“Of all the concerts we have performed so far, I would have to say I enjoyed Bella Notte the most,” Speer said. “Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and out of all the songs we did, Bella Notte was one where the songs we got to learn were in Italian. It was complicated, but we pulled it off and I think that was a great accomplishment.”  

The guitar and chamber guitar ensembles next presented Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow, My Favorite Things, Nutcracker Jingles and Christmas Eve Srajevo.  

Following the guitar, the choir presented two more pieces with one featuring all the girls, Candy Cane Lane and all the boys, A Holly Jolly Christmas.  

By Abbey Snow

 

Chamber choir girls singing ‘Candy Cane Lane.’

Lacey Jones is a freshman at VVHS. She played viola for a few years and now has been playing the double bass for two years.   

Marie Palmer introducing the orchestra.

“This is probably one of our best performances,” Jones said. “We have never really been up on stage with all the lights on us. This was really cool because it was more formal and we were all in a professional setting. I really like playing in the orchestra because it’s a lot of fun to work together with everyone and see how we can create nice music.” 

Marie Palmer explaining the meaning behind upcoming performance ‘A Solitary Wish’ performed by the chamber orchestra.

The final pieces presented were by the orchestra performing The Sleigh, Jingle Bells and ‘Winter Wonderland. The performances were received and appreciated very well by the audience.