Abhinav Adduri

Mr. Aucoin
Music Theory AP Period 6
May 26, 2015
Mission San Jose High School Spring Choral Concert Review
On Tuesday May 26, I was able to attend the Mission San Jose High School Spring
Choral Concert, during which five distinct groups performed: the Musical Theatre Vocal
Workshop, Concert Choir & Treble Ensemble, Treble Ensemblel, Chamber Chorale, and
Combined Choir. I loved many of the pieces showcased, but there were also some I did not enjoy
as much as the others. The first piece that I loved was Seize The Day by Jack Feldman and Alan
Menken, arranged by Roger Emerson. The drums were not unexpected, and I thought the bridge
had very nice cadences throughout. Another piece I really appreciated by the Musical Theatre
Vocal Workshop was You Cant Stop The Beat, by Shaiman and Wittman. I loved the snapping
finale and the line You cant stop the motion of the ocean really stood out to me. The most
notable thing about this group was how it required no instruction from Mr. A, a feat which I
found very impressive.
Another piece I liked was Festival Sanctus, by Mary Lynn Lightfoot and performed by
Concert Choir & Treble Ensemble. There was very distinct phrase structure with a beautiful
cadence in the middle of the piece to divide the different phrases. I feel like this group truly
showcased its mastery with dynamics and tempo through this piece. Another piece I thought
featured very nice candences was The Lass from the Low Countree by John Jacob Niles. As

much as I enjoyed this piece, I was annoyed when a phone started ringing in the audience.
Despite the distraction, I was able to enjoy the music and ultimately have a good time.
Possibly my favorite piece of the night was the Shrek trio by Kathy, Gelsey, and
Soukhya. The transitions to and from each part were simply outstanding, and I thought all three
of the singers were very talented. There was nice audience interaction with this piece as well: for
example, when Gelsey shouted Hi!, someone in the audience shouted back Hello.
Ezekiel Saw The Wheel was probably the most unique song I had the pleasure of hearing
that evening. There was a strong jazz-like feel near the end of the song, and Vincents solo was
on point. I appreciated the slurs and the cadential extensions with the In the middle of the
lines. At this point of the concert, there was a much larger audience turnout that there was at the
beginning. There were no standing ovations throughout the night, although I felt like giving one
at several times. The audience was very respectful (other than the disrupting phone call), and I
feel like most of the attendees loved the concert as much as I did. The atmosphere of the
auditorium really matched the music being sung, and I feel like I would love to listen to live
music in that venue again.
I would be lying if I said that wasnt the best vocal performance Ive heard in my life
(although admittedly, my attendances to vocal concerts constitute a very small sample size). I
have always wanted to be a part of a singing group, and I love it when we sight sing in AP Music
Theory class, so being able to hear these wonderful individuals perform and even dance to the
music was delightful. I could not help but sing along when the groups and the alumni started to
perform Why We Sing, a piece that we sang in class. Although the performance wasnt perfect in
that there were some songs I did not like or some hiccups with solos, I thought the experience as

a whole was very enjoyable, and I would definitely recommend the Spring Choral Concert to my
friends.