Upper School Choir students rocked out at the annual Spring Pops concert in Orthwein Theatre last week, bringing a variety of songs and great rhythm to the stage. Each year, the show is produced entirely by the students; the singers themselves design all the choreography. The result is a unique and entertaining show that delights all ages.
“The Spring Pops Concert is a puzzle with lots of moving pieces,” said Upper School Performing Arts Teacher Dana Self, popularly known as DSelf. “One of the most challenging pieces is the choreography. Every song performed is choreographed by the students in the choir. They are given a few days of class time to teach the choreography for their song before we are moving on to the next song. And there are times when we learn two dances in the same day. Some days it’s absolute mayhem; other days it’s organized chaos, but somehow it works. The choreographers design movements that are accessible for all dancing abilities—those students who have absolutely no experience in dance, choreography for students who are terrified at the thought of dancing on stage, as well as for those students who might have years of dance experience. While they don’t receive a paycheck, they do get a good idea of what it’s like to stand in front of a room full of high schoolers.”
DSelf said, “What makes the pops concert stand out is that it’s a student-driven production. In addition to learning the music and dance they also stuff the programs, decorate the stage, sweep the stage, organize the props, run the lights and sound, write personal invitations to their teachers, and the list could go on and on. They take on a lot of responsibility in producing this show. Once 7:00 p.m. hits, the show is in their hands. They work together to fix any problems that arise throughout the program, and they do it beautifully.”
The show of 17 songs included performances by the Tenor-Bass Choir, the Treble Choir, and the Chamber Choir, along with soloists. Each soloist had to audition before a committee. Each song was backed by the Spring Pops Band, which included DSelf on piano; Ron Roskowske, on guitar; Ben Wheeler, on bass; and Joe Pastor, on drums.
“People think that pop concert music is easy. It’s not!” DSelf exclaimed. “It challenges and stretches our students to learn complex rhythm patterns, different styles of vocal production, and in many cases, singing a style of music that they have never been exposed to before, such as disco, pop-country, or blue-eyed soul.”
Songs included Ghostbusters (Ray Parker Jr.), Please, Please, Please (Sabrina Carpenter), We Built This City (Starship), Drive (Ed Sheeran), You Make My Dreams (Hall & Oates), Hey, Soul Sister (Train), Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts), Die With a Smile (Lada Gaga & Bruno Mars), Africa (Toto), Old Time Rock and Roll (Bob Seger), I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor), APT. (ROSÉ & Bruno Mars), Chapel of Love (Dixie Cups), Get Me To The Church On Time (from My Fair Lady), and a tribute to Queen.
Featured soloists included:
Simone Glasser ’29 – Love Girl (Laufey)
Harper Clark ’26 – Turning Tables (Adele)
Shreeya Shelar ’28 – Oscar Winning Tears (Raye)
Akira Washington ’26 – Opportunity (from Annie)
Reina Banerjee ’27 and Ezra Ewald ’27 – Set Fire to the Rain (Adele)
At the conclusion of the concerts on both nights, DSelf acknowledged the performers and the choreographers. After the final show on Friday, he honored the seniors. “The Friday night performance is bittersweet for the seniors,” he said. “They want their final performance to ‘be lit’ (as they would say). I love to hear them encourage the underclassmen to get out there and bring their best and remind them that it is up to them to continue to build and grow this concert. One of the unique aspects of my job is that I have the opportunity to teach many of these kids all four years of their high school career. They spend more time in my classroom than in any other room on campus. That reality hits them on Friday night when they walk from the classroom to the stage one final time. Then 7:00 p.m. hits and they flip the switch to performer mode and give it their all.”
Click here to see the full program, which includes bios of our seniors.
Bravo and brava to our talented singers! Well done on yet another great performance!