The Revere High School (RHS) Choir held their last performance of the school year to honor the hard work they had accomplished and signify the new beginnings of graduating seniors.
On May 3, the Revere choir held their last performance, to which seniors, underclassmen and everyone in the audience felt immense emotion.
All of the choir classes performed for the last time this year and sang songs to salute the seniors on their way to college. Some of these songs included an Irish song called The Parting Glass and an alumni tradition, The Longest Time.
Choir teacher Sierra Pabon has been working with the choir on these songs since January, and talked about how they had prepared the pieces.
“January is when we started our music to prepare for OMEA events, and so I would say from January really until then we have been working towards preparing these pieces,” Pabon said.
Choir member Gianna Kosir talked about why they needed to start from scratch at the beginning of the year to prepare for the final concert.
“When we started in the fall, we started with pieces that were going to help us get better to be able to perform the songs we did this past concert the way we did, because it was a new group,” Kosir said.
Pabon explained about the technical aspects of preparing for the spring concert, and how to ensure everything would run smoothly.
“I would say specifically for the spring concert, there were a lot more logistics to coordinate. So we had a lot of hands on deck for that. And especially with A Cappella, later in the process we have to get onto the full sound system, so that’s a bit of an adjustment to get them situated with their choreography and that clean as well as getting them onstage with their mics and their full sound system,” Pabon said.
Pabon expressed how this concert was different from the other ones, and how they honored their seniors.
“This one was different in [that] we had our senior spotlight showcase beforehand but also the nature of our final spring concert is to showcase what we prepared for our OMEA events this year,” Pabon said.
Pabon explained the more challenging songs that they practiced near the end of the year.
“A Cappella performed their final three pieces for the year. I’d say a lot of their music was a little bit more of a challenge for them. We kind of pushed a little bit further towards the end of the year so that was a bit different,” Pabon said.
Active RHS choir member Lily Dunn expressed what this night means to her and why it is so important.
“It’s a very emotional night, but a lot of fun and it means a lot to all of us. Because especially with our OMEA pieces, we’ve been working towards being good enough to perform those all year,” Dunn said.
Kosir compared the difference in emotions from this concert to others.
“Sometimes you will walk offstage and you’re like, ‘Man that could’ve been better’. . . but there [were] no regrets with that concert. It was just like, ‘This is what we do. This is why we do what we do,’” Kosir said.
Kosir spoke about why this concert held so little pressure due to the ability of the members to impress themselves.
“I think all the choirs are pretty not hard on themselves, but pushing for perfection, but with the spring concert it’s a time to let loose and really just make music and be with your friends and kind of appreciate what the program has brought for that year,” Kosir said.
Kosir listed her favorite pieces that she performed and why it felt so important.
“Somewhere Only We Know or Man In the Mirror [were my favorites] because it was so special and it highlighted the seniors and it was super sentimental. And it was just really nice to be up there with my friends one last time,” Kosir said.
In regards to the Irish song the choir sang, The Parting Glass, Dunn talked about why she admires international music and how influential it is.
“I love choir and just music in general because it’s so universal. Because we can sing in different languages that we don’t even know but we still understand what it means just from the music and just from how we can see it,” Dunn said.
Pabon provided her rigorous plans for next year, and how she will bring the upcoming classes success again.
“We have said toward the end of this year that we don’t have plans of slowing down for next year, and so we are going to do what we need to to set ourselves up very well for success and for future building of excellence throughout next year,” Pabon said.
Pabon reflected on why this senior class was so special and how they inspired the environment of the class.
“I think that they have inspired others to take on those roles and to express themselves in the ways that they did but . . . had not only a class full of leadership and just really strong personalities that were very comfortable with themselves and comfortable doing what they do well,” Pabon said.
Pabon explained her favorite part of seeing her students grow throughout the year as they prepare.
“I’m really proud of the fact that they are creating a presence within the school and that their peers are seeing what they are working on, so I think it’s been special in that way,” Pabon said.
Pabon expressed why it is so important to have an environment where students feel comfortable to express themselves.
“We have a lot of leadership specifically in place to help us promote and build a positive culture that’s comfortable in the classroom. I think at our core, my moral and philosophical values are shared with my students, in that you’re walking in here to sing every day, which is a very vulnerable, very personal thing to do, and it can be very uncomfortable if you don’t have the environment to help you explore it,” Pabon said.
Dunn talked about her sentiments with the senior class and why she will miss them.
“Without this class, things would’ve been so much more difficult because they are just all so positive and fun and sweet. I’m going to miss them,” Dunn said.
With the seniors on their way to the next stage of their lives, the RHS choir will miss them greatly, but be set up for success next year due to the seniors’ influence on the rest of the class.
