Shalhevet’s energetic and rambunctious choir, led by an enthusiastic Mrs. Joelle Keene in purple striped socks, performed its seventh annual Spring Concert on Wednesday, June 9. The performance took place two days before the start of finals, and consisted of 14 songs in both English and Hebrew. In attendance were various alumni, students, faculty, and family members.
Despite bursts of giggles and several off-pitch moments, the choir pulled off the performance with their hallmark spirit and a smile.
“We are a crazy bunch of kids and each and every one of us has trouble staying quiet and keeping any and all comments to ourselves,” said junior and Honor Choir member Ariella Benji. “Even when we make major mistakes, we can all laugh and joke and still have a good time!”
Shalhevet’s High School Choir and Honor Choir, consisting of 19 singers, looked stunning yet whimsical together in crisp black bottoms, white, tucked-in tops, and funky sneakers. They began the concert by asking the audience to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Hatikvah.” Both songs, arranged by Mrs. Keene, displayed the choir’s signature qualities: a wide range of voices, and an energetic, Broadway-like tempo.
Following the national anthems, the choir sang “Beautiful” by Christiana Aguilera with sophomore bass Adam Sharabi accompanying on piano. The choir added its own touch by reading off definitions of the word “beautiful” between the verses. These definitions, compiled by Mrs. Keene into a script, included snippets of choir memories.
“You got two front row seats? Beautiful! Your car broke down in the middle of the freeway? Beautiful!” said Honor Choir Tenor, Justin Brandt-Sarif. “The number of times Emilio quit [choir] this year? Beautiful!”
The beginning of the concert was organized to give the listener a taste of choir behind the scenes, so after “Beautiful” the group offered a glimpse into their rehearsals with two favorite warm-ups. The first, “Belly Mamba,” was taught to the choir by Kol Sasson, a Jewish a cappella group at the University of Maryland, when they performed at Shalhevet in March.
Next came a section titled “Our Beautiful Heritage,” which contained four Jewish songs, all in Hebrew. A choir favorite, “Hine Ba Hashalom,” was the first in this segment. The high-energy track was a whirlwind of snapping, toe tapping, and even beat-boxing. Sopranos Ariella Benji and Laura Melamed showed spirit, grinning and bouncing to the beat.
The following two, “Pitchu Li Shaare Tzedek” and the spirited “Nachamu,” both borrowed lyrics from the Book of Isaiah. The fourth, “Yerushalayim shel Zahav,” adapted the calm yet beautiful melody by Israeli composer Naomi Shemer and gave sopranos Meirav Cafri, Ariella Benji and Stephanie Salem the chance to shine with alternating duets.
Following a brief, impromptu intermission to give the choir a chance to rest their voices, the Honor Choir sang the famous madrigal “Fair Phyllis I Saw.” Mrs. Keene plays this song to her Music Appreciation classes to demonstrate imitative counterpoint, ideal sound, and bawdy humor, and many in the audience recognized the tune even though it was written in the 1500s.
They also sang “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit,” which fit into the choir’s religious theme with its lyrics about prayer. Unfortunately for the choir, they drifted off key.
Mrs. Keene apologized to the crowd after the incident, saying, “That song was perfect at lunch, what can I say?”
Then, entire choir sang three last pieces: “Three Madrigals” by contemporary composer Emma Lou Diemer; “Hallelujah,” by Leonard Cohen and made famous in the movie Shrek; and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” Sophomore Leila Miller accompanied the choir on piano for the first two songs. She played the difficult melodies effortlessly and without a hitch, and with a content semi-smile on her face.
The final song of the evening, “Don’t Stop Believing,” elicited huge exclamations of “yes, yes, YES!” from the choir beforehand. Remade for the hit TV Show Glee, the song is a classic that both parents and teenagers know every word to. The choir sang Glee’s lively version, making it the perfect finale for the concert.
Judging by the applause at the end, the concert was a success. Many students, like junior Rachel Lessel, attended to support their friends on the choir.
“It was like all the concerts: lots of fun to watch, amazing voices, and giggles in between songs or whenever they messed up,” she said.
