Every year, the choir department puts on a show at their first big concert of the year, the Coffee Concert. This concert is October 30, and it’s a little different this year with the theme “Behind The Mask”. It will be held at 3:00 pm at the Performing Arts Center with no admissions fee.
The Varsity Voices, Concert Choir and Bella Voce (formerly known as Women’s Chorus) performs numerous titles each year and captures the audience’s attention. Choir director Jack Phillipson hopes to continue to show the singers’ amazing work.
“We will be sure to paint each piece of music in a light that’s going to allow the audience to really understand the work that went into it,” Phillipson said. “I think it’s really important that an audience gets involved and understands the process behind making music rather than just what the end result is.”
While the Coffee Concert is a somewhat short performance this year with only ten songs, the choirs have an exciting lineup planned. The choirs will be performing six songs, as well as solos, throughout the night with various genres.
Concert Choir is singing two songs, called Sisi Ni Moga and To Thine Own Self Be True. Varsity Voices will perform two songs as well, a jazz arrangement to Getting to Know You and I Am Power. Bella Voce is singing Who I Want To Be and Kaleidoscope Heart.
Phillipson went through a process of selecting songs that connected with the theme and the students. This year, the theme for this event has a much deeper meaning to the students and, hopefully, the audience as well.
“I decided to go with a theme that has to do with wearing a costume and showing our true identity behind that mask that we wear,” Phillipson said. “Each of the songs that the choirs will sing has to do with who we are inside and what our identity means to us and how we can stay true to ourselves.”
For some students, this is one of the last opportunities for them to sing with the high school choir community. Senior Abigail Martin is a member of two choirs, Varsity Voices and a cappella group From The Top. Martin knows what Northview has to offer.
“I just want to make sure that everyone who gets the opportunity to see this concert enjoys it just as much as I enjoy getting to perform for them,” Martin said.
The Coffee Concert has been attracting students, staff and community members for over 20 years. The singers have been putting in hard work to make this night a good experience for both the audience and themselves. Senior Brendan Patterson is a member of From The Top, Varsity Voices and Concert Choir. Being so involved in the music department, Patterson will be performing quite a bit during the concert.
“The theme of this concert is all about identity and discovering who you are, and that is so important to this day and age. It’s also about humanity and working together, which is what singing is all about,” Patterson said. “We work hard every day to be better and better until it gets to a point where we are just ready to show everyone what we can do.”
For the performers, this concert is something they look forward to every year. Singing with their friends, celebrating the fall season, and embracing their identities is what this concert is all about.
“My favorite part about being in the choir community is that it just gets better as time goes on,” Patterson said. “You do not only get better at performing, but you make more memories too.”
Of course, this concert wouldn’t be the same without the cozy fall vibes around this time of year.
“The Coffee Concert has the most lovely fall energy and whenever I get to perform in it, it feels like fall is in full swing,” Martin said.
