Band and choir perform at "Swing into Spring"

Above: Junior Alyssa Lyddon performs her vocal solo “De Pena, De Susto” at the Swing into Spring concert on Tuesday, May 8. Lyddon also received a I rating at State Solo and Small Ensemble contest.

by Kayla Werner

On Tuesday, May 8, the junior high and high school band and choir performed for their annual “Swing Into Spring” concert, which involved group performances as well as solos. 

The junior high band started off the concert playing “Salute to Freedom” by Andy Clark, “Storm Clouds” by James Swearingen, and “Rock Fourth” by Paul Clark. The high school band joined the junior high to play “Takeoff” by David Shaffer before starting their performance.

The high school band went on to perform “Second Suite for Military Band” by Gustav Holst, “Swing Machine” by Larry Neeck, and “Saturday in the Park by Chicago.” They finished up their performance with an encore of “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. 

After the band was finished, the choir took the stage. The junior high girls’ chorus opened with “Over the Rainbow” by Audrey Snider. When the girls finished, the boys joined them on stage to sing “Another Op’nin’, Another Show” by Cole Porter and “Shine on Me” arranged by Rollo Dilworth.

Between the junior high and high school performances, Natalie Wheeler had a solo. She sang “Part of Your World” from the Little Mermaid. 

The high school women sang a mash up of “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones and “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. Clara Johnson followed their performance with a solo of “Pray” by Justin Bieber as a tribute to her baby cousin who is battling brain cancer. 

The high school men were up next singing “Gonna Build a Mountain” arranged by Norman Leyden.

Alyssa Lyddon performed her solo of “De Pena, De Susto.” She also performed this song at the high school State Solo and Small Ensemble contest and got a I (superior) rating.

Morgan Sanders also had a solo before the high school mixed chorus took the stage. Her song was “My Heart Will Go On” from the Titanic.

The high school mixed chorus ended the night with “Make Them Hear You” from the musical “Ragtime,” “Turn The World Around” by Belafonte and Freedman, and “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the musical “Hairspray.”

The high school band’s director Scott Stanton also handed out letters that are meant for the band’s marching jackets. He also gave out the Most Outstanding Musician Award to graduating senior Elizabeth Ostrem.