The boundless Shalhevet spirit was alive and well on display the seventh night of Chanukah. An audience of families, faculty and some students packed the Beit Midrash to hear the Shalhevet Choir perform in the annual Chanukah Concert, including traditional Chanukah, Israeli, and even some pop pieces.
The evening also included a dedication ceremony of the Yamaha baby grand piano generously donated by Shalhevet Board member Mrs. Dawn Arnall (see related story, opposite page). Three student pianists showed off the piano’s pitch perfection as well as their own skills.
This year, the choir decided to donate half the proceeds to victims of the fires devastating northern Israel. The other half will go towards various choir expenses, including the CD which they put out every other year.
The evening’s performance began traditionally, with the choir singing “The Star Spangled Banner” as well as “Hatikvah.” Both national anthems, are notoriously difficult to sing but the Shalhevet choir delivered stirring renditions.
If I had to single out one piece most deserving of acclaim, it would be the Honor Choir’s performance of “Here, There, and Everywhere” Each of the choir’s many voices are layered and harmonized with such subtlety that I felt wide open joy. There is no other way to describe what I heard except to say that it was dazzling.
Mrs. Keene’s arrangement of the pop hit “Count On Me” by Bruno Mars was nothing if not remarkable. The ingenious use of “chickaboom,” no doubt meant to mimic the ukulele, was really entertaining.
The choir’s ability to deliver this song to a mixed crowd of teens and their parents and grandparents shows that they are a very talented group of singers. I noticed a couple of grandmothers tapping along to the rhythm created entirely without instrumental accompaniment.
Shalhevet’s three outstanding pianists deserve some accolades as well. Rachel Friedman, a sophomore, played “Walking in the Air,” an ethereal melody written by Howard Blake. Michael Lennett, also a sophomore, delivered a flawless rendition of Joe Garland’s ragtime song “In the Mood.” Junior Adam Sharabi closed the piano dedication part of the program with two pieces, Bach’s “Prelude in C major” from The Well-Tempered Clavichord and Yiruma’s “River Flows in You.”
Needless to say, the opportunity to play their music on the Yamaha Baby Grand donated by Mrs. Arnall allowed the pianists to be expressive.
No review would be complete without offering some criticism. While it is undeniable that the Shalhevet Choir is mesmerizing, the spell is broken because visually, the choir was lacking. I did not like the fact that they looked somewhat frumpy.
While it’s true that the black skirts and white tops were an attempt at looking uniform, the effect was not achieved. The problem was that each singer interpreted the white top and black skirt differently.
Some singers wore white tees, others wore white sweaters, while the remainder wore white blouses. The choir needs a cohesive look which will really up the ante and help them look as professional as they sound.
The girls should wear the same black wrap dress and the same black shoes. Mrs. Keene also needs to make sure that the girls do not wear distracting accessories such as feathered hair bands or oversized jewelry.
The boys were equally worthy of criticism and need their own uniform, which must include black dress shoes.
In addition, too many of the singers do not emote. Many of the choir members were not animated and Mrs. Keene held up signs that reminded the singers to smile. The choir fell short at looking great.
Regardless of my criticism though, the choir did what it was supposed to do. They sounded beautiful. The fact remains that the Shalhevet Choir delivered a performance that was pretty accomplished considering that our high school is not a professional school for the arts.
What the Shalhevet choir lacks is rather insignificant when I think about what it has. While the choir could use some polish and refinement the fact remains that the Chanukah Concert was delivered in our indomitable style which is full of exuberance . . . and that’s just fine with me.
