UPDATE: There have been changes to the show choir’s Sweets and Songs Friday night! Doors open 6:30 for the silent auction, ticket sales are at 7, and the performance is at 8 p.m.
For months, Danville High School’s newly-formed show choir has been working hard to prepare for their Silent Auction and Sweets and Songs.
The silent auction and bake sale will start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8. There will be a musical performance consisting of singing, dancing and snow at 7:30 p.m. There might even be a visit from Santa. Tickets for the show are available for purchase at the door, $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
This event, which will take place at Gravely Hall Performing Arts Center, is a fundraiser for the Danville High School choir’s trip to Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The show choir rehearses for "Let it Snow."
The show choir rehearses for their performance on Friday, Dec. 8.
There are 11 students in the show choir, and they have been rehearsing for this performance with Paula Meckes as choreographer. Students in show choir are Andrew Lamb, Angel Sanchez, Anna Sparrow, Ava Carpenter, Eliah Snyder, Emilee Beauman, Londyn Jackson, Madelyn Kernen, Nico Lucas, Stella Short and Sadie Pusateri.
Some of the songs that will be featured are “Let it Snow,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “The Christmas Waltz,” “Baby It's Cold Outside,” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The performance of “The Christmas Waltz” will feature three of the show choir students ballet dancing on pointe.
“We hope everyone will come out and support our choir while enjoying some fun holiday songs of the season,” said Choir Director Dee Ann Gray.
As for the scheduled concert at Carnegie Hall in the spring, the DHS choir will be performing Elaine Hagenberg's, "Illuminare," a song cycle of five songs. Composer Elaine Hagenberg will even be at the concert, Gray said. The conductor for "Illuminare'' is University of Kentucky Professor Elizabeth Wilson.
“The most recent very exciting development is that our choir has been invited to sing with the world-renowned Westminster Choir as they present the world premiere of Dr. James Whitbourn's ‘Requiem Canticorum,’ and will be conducted by Dr. James Jordan,” Gray said.
She said performing at Carnegie Hall will be a huge opportunity for the choir.
“The songs the Choir will be performing are very challenging and all in Latin, so they have been working hard every week to learn the music and prepare for this incredible opportunity,” Gray said. "I am so excited for students to have these incredible opportunities to sing with world-class singers under the direction of highly-skilled choral conductors, and to perform in the iconic Carnegie Hall."
The choir has had several fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the trip, and Gray emphasized that the Silent Auction and Sweets and Songs is an impactful way to support the students and help them raise funds for the hotel expenses, airline tickets, food and other expenses for the trip.
The show choir rehearses a holiday medley that is part of their performance.