New director makes debut with choir showcase
March 17, 2018
The Diamond Bar High School choir department welcomed spring with a combination of Disney tunes, classic melodies and current pop favorites. Vince O’Connell made a memorable first impression as the new choir director, as the show blossomed with lively choreography and resonating voices.
The showcase started with duets from Marquis. Seniors Justin Yoo and Ryan Handoyo were the first to take the stage with a memorable mash-up of Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph” and “Castle on the Hill.” Following their duet were sisters , senior Kaitlyn and sophomore Hannah Lee, who performed the melodic song “Jet Lag” by Simple Plan, accompanied by Yoo on the guitar.
After the duets, Solitaire walked on stage in bright white overcoats with vibrant red dresses peeking out from underneath. The group performed their New York set, which started out with an upbeat and lively song, “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift, and transitioned into Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” The performance picked up the speed as the group sang “Strut” by the Cheetah Girls.
The performance slowed down once again as Solitaire Vice President Stephanie Tang sang “Only in New York” as she peeled off her white coat to reveal her sparkly red dress. The performance emulated the vibe of the 1920’s jazz era. The set ended with a burst of energy as Solitaire sang “Saturday Night in the City” from the musical “The Wedding Singer.”
As Solitaire left the stage, they were followed by more duets from Marquis. A memorable performance was given by senior Sean Park and sophomore Caitlin Joe, as they sang a different take on the popular song “Sorry” by Justin Bieber. Park played the guitar as the two sang a slowed down acoustic version of the song.
The only solo of the night was performed by Tang, who sang “All I Ask” by Adele. Tang moved the audience with her strong and emotional voice. Her notes resonated throughout the theatre as she showed impressive control over her vocal range.
Marquis then entered the stage dressed in white and gold Greek-themed costumes. They started their set with “Zero to Hero” from Disney’s “Hercules,” followed by Clean Bandit’s “Stronger.” Both performances incorporated a lot of partner dancing and fun choreography to go with the cheerful tempos.
Seniors Katelyn Contrereas and Larry Chen then came out alone on stage dressed like characters Hercules and Meg to sing “Elaborate Lives” by Adam Pascal. During the duet the Marquis boys entered on stage dressed in gold sequins shirts and white pants, and soon after the Marquis girls joined them on stage wearing gold sequins dresses.
Marquis burst out with shouts and screams as they transitioned from the slow song into Shawn Mendes’s “Nothing Holding Me Back.” The number was upbeat, catchy and hard not to sing along to. It woke up the audience and was the perfect song to segue into Marquis’ “Zero to Hero” reprise, reminding the audience of the legendary hero Hercules and ending the night with plenty of gold shine
