On March 21, the choir performed its cabaret show in the ANHS theatre. This performance included Aliso’s Madrigals, Bella Cantore, a women’s ensemble, and a men’s ensemble.
The concert opened with a comedic performance from Madrigals Shruti Beta (12) and J.D. Brenes (12) to introduce the show’s opener, the Songs of a Disney Princess. This mashup featured songs from Disney princess classics, such as “A Dream is a Wish” from Cinderella, “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, and many others. This performance was done in beautiful princess costumes and perfect harmonies by Bella Cantore.
A member of Bella Cantore, Lucy Fisher (10), says, “I thought the opening of our Disney Princess Medley went really well. I enjoyed our harmony throughout the whole performance.”
Following the opener, Madrigals Bella and Grace Fenick sang the hit song “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chapell Roan. Their alto and soprano duet put the audience in an excited mood throughout the whole performance and encouraged them to participate by clapping their hands the entire time.
Madrigals Levi Lamting, Hiteshi Hariharan, and Douglas Beaver sang the 1960’s classic “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens. By the end of their performance, the boys had the audience singing along with them every time the chorus repeated the iconic phrase “Wee heeheehee weeoh aweem away”.
After the trio, various solos and duets from the Madrigals and Bella Cantores were performed. Some were beautiful and romantic like “Secret Love Song, Part 2” sung by Mia Dean or “Valentine” sung by Alexia Kim. Others were upbeat and energetic like Brenes’ rendition of “Who Can It Be Now”, Maddy Chu’s musical performance of “Taylor, the Latte Boy”, and Mariah Lewis’ and Sammy Kirchner’s version of “Adore You” by Harry Styles. Some other fantastic solos include “Que Sera, Sera” from Payton Gray, “Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road” from Cassidy Redding, “Love Like You” from Jaiden Lacanienta, and “Nothing You Can Take From Me” from Ellie Bowles.
After the spectacular solos, the ANHS Concert Choir performed its own unique Beauty and the Beast Medley. This performance combined “Be Our Guest”, “Belle”, “Something There”, and other classics from Beauty and the Beast. Not only did it showcase the Concert Choir’s beautiful harmonies, including all their 26 singers, but it also had a handful of comedic solos, especially the ones seen in “Gaston”.
Following Beauty and the Beast, Douglas Beaver sang another Disney classic. His rendition of “Be Prepared” from The Lion King had the audience in awe of his ability to create a high volume in such a low pitch.
After that, a variety of solos and duets were sung by even more Madrigals and Bella Cantores. “What is this Feeling?” from Sophia Lowry and Maddy Chu and “Birds of a Feather” by Shruti Beta and Gabby Armani put everyone in a happy and cheerful mood. The original songs “G.Y.O.P” by Sammy Kirchner, “Times are Tough for Dreams” by Sophie Lowry, and “Into the West” by Jessie Cerk made everyone in the audience shed a tear. After the audience gathered their emotions, they were immediately on the edge of their seats in suspense as Camilia Abarca performed the storytelling Taylor Swift song “No Body, No Crime”.
Upon the ending of the solos, the three levels of the choir sang their final tunes. It started with a continuation of the Disney Princess Medley from Bella Cantore. This version featured “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan and a few other newer Disney princess songs.
Bella Cantore, Catherine Lacanienta (11), says, “I thought it was really fun. This was my first ever cabaret in choir, so there were some difficulties, but overall it went really well.”
Following Bella Cantore, the Madrigals hyped everyone in the room with their Backstreet Boys Medley. The show’s finale included everyone singing “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent as a final goodbye to the audience.
