Sierra Vista High School’s choral music department, overcoming challenges posed by social distancing, continued its end-of-the-year tradition of presenting its annual “Evening of Carols” with a virtual holiday performance in December, despite choir members having to record their parts at home without hearing vocal accompaniment from fellow ensemble members.
The individual tracks, recorded on smart phones, were edited into a full-length performance video and posted on YouTube. Among the holiday carols performed was a heartfelt interpretation of “Silent Night.”
“The holiday show is a generational tradition at Sierra Vista, and we were determined to keep it going. For choir members, it was make-or-break time,” Sierra Vista choral music director Suzanne Brookey said. “Even though the process was the opposite of ensemble learning, our kids made it work; they were awesome. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
The virtual performance was no small achievement in a year like no other. Choir members were unable to rehearse together while some new members have not even met.
“For vocal ensembles, the process is the fun part, being close to each other, singing together, getting their notes in real-time. When someone messes up, everyone has a good laugh,” Brookey said. “We certainly missed that camaraderie this year, although the students learned new skills, like having to adapt to changing situation and still perform admirably.”
Brookey, now in her 16th year as music director, and her piano accompanist, Sierra Vista Class of 2010 graduate Kevin Phan, began the 2020-21 school year by prepping the choral groups who would be performing – Vocal Ensemble, Concert Choir and Treble Choir – on the material, sending students guide tracks to help them record their parts at home.
Working one group at a time, Brookey and Phan reviewed individual performances and gave notes. To ensure optimum audio quality, students had to isolate themselves from all background noises, a process that proved to be frustrating to many. In most cases, students had to record their part at least half a dozen times.
“Participating in a virtual choir was definitely very different from anything I’ve ever done before,” Sierra Vista junior Litzy Taborda said. “It took a lot of diligence and concentration to finally get a recording right. Although the pandemic has put a stop to a lot of things, we were still able to do what we love and make beautiful music together from a distance.”
An Azusa Pacific grad student and a former Sierra Vista student separately assisted Brookey in the audio and video editing for the performance video. Brookey and Phan are now beginning preparations for spring performance.
“The Baldwin Park community has rich traditions, and we are thankful that Sierra Vista was once again able to deliver the soothing carols they are known for,” Superintendent Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza said. “Suzanne Brookey and her team did an amazing job putting the music together and providing us with a gift.”