‘Getting in the Mood for Christmas’ was choral program’s winter concert theme
Gage Neumann and the other men of the choir delighted the audience. Photo by Vincent Crosbie
Preslee Gerbers performed at the Winter Concert just weeks before Christmas. Photo by Vincent Crosbie
The comic antics of the talented Show Choir put the audience in the Christmas spirit.
Photo by Vincent Crosbie
On Dec. 14, Atascadero High School’s choral program put on “Getting in the Mood for Christmas” at the Atascadero Bible Church for their annual Winter Concert performance. Those in attendance who weren’t in the Christmas spirit beforehand definitely left transformed by these talented student singers.
Before the performance began, audience members sang carols while the stage was being set up. “I liked the sing-along,” said Jearon Gilbert, an audience member and AHS alumni. AHS’s Mixed Choir sang “Caroling Caroling,” and the Advanced Treble Choir sang “Il Est Ne.” The choirs all joined together and sang “Lean on Me,” “Steam Heat,” and “Thank you for the Christmas.” Then alumni members from the AHS choral program were asked to join the choirs on stage and sing their last song, “Carol of the Bells.” To finish off the night, the AHS Show Choir put on a wonderful winter show that told the story of a lost teddy bear finding its way home just in time for Christmas. When the show was over there was an outstanding applause. Another audience member, Julie Leasburg, who was in awe at how well this year’s performance was, said, “What a wonderful Winter Concert this year! I especially enjoyed the program put on by the Show Choir!”
The show was choreographed by seniors Samantha Leasburg and Gage Neumann. “Being a choreographer can be really fun, but also really hard when your brain stops working. That's why it's really nice to have a partner to bounce ideas off of," Neumann said, thankful for having been able to work with Leasburg. Senior Laura Hernandez-Arvivu said, “The crowd was great, the vocals were amazing, and the choreography rocked thanks to our outstanding choreographers Samantha Leasburg and Gage Neumann. Overall, it was a wonderful experience."
Ms. Jones, the choir teacher, praised the choir students for their hard work throughout the multiple shows they performed: “The choir rang in the holiday season with some traditional Christmas carols, a jazz and gospel set that we performed at the Cuesta Vocal Jazz Festival, an audience sing-along, and a mini-musical created by the Show Choir. The students gave a quality performance they can be proud of!”