A miserable cold almost kept me from this year’s Crestview High School Winter Concert.
I came close to staying home, making a cup of bouillon and curling up with a cat to watch old episodes of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” on DVD.
But had I not dragged myself to the Pearl Tyner Auditorium, with cough drops in pocket, I would have missed one of our talented chorus’ best Christmas concerts in recent memory.
From the chorus’ solemn entrance, with each member holding a lit candle and singing “Carol of the Bells,” to the joyful exuberance of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” it was an evening of holiday warmth and spirit.
FIVE ENSEMBLES
Most of the groups did so well that they inadvertently contrasted with one that, while enjoyable, could have benefited from a few tweaks.
The all-girl Destiny show choir sounded a tad weak, and their choreography was occasionally off, with a near collision during the “Holiday Dreamin’” medley.
Still, their “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas” was a nice beginning to the ensemble performances.
Chanticleer followed with Donté Arrington's fancy footwork during “Swingin’ at Santa’s Place,” a lovely solo by Morgan Seip on “I Love the Winter Weather" which interpolated the Oscar-winning classic, “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.”
Their fun, vocalized version of Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” — performed in the dark as singers shined flashlights while signing their respective bits — joined the always crowd-pleasing “Fruitcake” to garner the most applause.
TRADITIONS AND MORE
The Women’s Choir’s “Still, Still, Still,” a personal Christmas favorite, was beautifully performed, as was the Men’s Choir’s “The Shepherd’s Spiritual."
The guys also excelled on “The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth” and their a cappella rendition of “O Tannenbaum,” while the woman’s witty “The 12 Days After Christmas” drew many chuckles.
By the time Chorale took to the risers, I was deep in the Christmas spirit, which was reinforced when dozens of voices rose in a gorgeous Kirby Shaw arrangement of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
Afterward, Senior Airman Jarrick Rivers, home on 26 days’ leave from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, said joining the chorus with other alumni for “The Hallelujah Chorus" brought back a flood of happy memories.
“It made me feel a little sentimental,” Jarrick said, adding that he plans to audition for the Air Force’s Tops in Blues performance ensemble.
In case you’re wondering, my cold is much better and my Christmas spirit is soaring even higher.
Good music seems to be a cure for all sorts of things.
Email News Bulletin Arts Editor Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: Crestview chorus concert cures the common cold