Meistersinger Schule

Wow! What a night that was.

The auditorium was filled with smiling, excited faces, and the energy of the crowd could be felt throughout the room. The 80 students waited impatiently, looking forward to sharing their hard work and joy with the audience below. As we walked up the stairs, the audience burst into applause, and the second- through fourth-graders beamed with pride. We began with our school song, written by former VSC teacher Andreas Gross, with English lyrics by Jacki Hafellner. Ezinwanne (4th grade) and Elina (4th grade) introduced our second song, titled “I Sing Because I’m Happy.” Gospel music has been a major inspiration for much of the music we have today. This song is based on a 19th-century hymn titled “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” It was popularized by Lauryn Hill and later by Whitney Houston. This arrangement was adapted for a two-part choir by Rollo Dilworth. The choir students began working on this entertaining gospel piece just two weeks ago. The song has tricky rhythms, but the lyrics are repetitive and catchy. The audience clapped along as our students sang this piece with great joy.

The concert continued with solo performances. Nineteen students had auditioned for the solo parts, and seven were selected to perform last night. Robert Forsyth (3rd grade) played Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Little Swans” on the piano. He was followed by Vanessa Bernhard (4th grade), also on the piano.

Emmanuel Petek-Viesca (2nd grade) performed a cello solo titled “Scherzo” by C. Webster.

Following our soloists, fourth-graders Pradyumna and Selina performed “Siyahamba.” Siyahamba is a South African folk song in the Zulu language that means “We March.” It was not originally intended as a protest song, but later became an anti-apartheid protest song and remains associated with that movement to this day. They invited our former choir members in the audience to sing along to this song, as it has been a tradition in the VSC Choir since 2022 to learn and perform this song every year. Praise, Anila, and Emma (class of 2024), along with Amina, Nnenna, Sophia, Ayla, and Meharyjot (class of 2025), sang this song with us. It features two-part harmony and choreography.

The next group of soloists began with Xenia Tverdokhlib (3rd grade), who played Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ecossaise in G Major” on the piano. She was followed by Laura Veronesi (2nd grade) on the soprano recorder. The next piece was played by Ida Liesche (4th grade) on the piano. Our final performance was by Clara Westermeier Pasqualin. She sang “Naughty” from the musical “Matilda” by Tim Minchin.

The last two songs of the show were the audience’s favorites! The first song was called “Red Bird.” Third-graders Jorawarjit and Malou explained that “Red Bird” is a two-part song for young voices. It tells the story of a cardinal in winter and how the cardinal’s song shines out over the winter landscape.

The Tuesday choir members sing the main melody, and the Friday choir sings the lower harmony. This song features several Orff instruments playing an octave part. The students in Class 4F will accompany us at the next school assembly on February 11.

The final two songs of the show were the audience favorites! The first song was called Red Bird. Third graders Jorawarjit and Malou explained that Red Bird is a 2-part song for young voices. It tells the story of a Cardinal in the winter time and how the song of the Cardinal bird shines above the winter scenery. The Tuesday choir students are singing the main melody and the Friday choir is singing the lower harmony. This song features multiple Orff instruments playing an octavo. The students of the 4F class will be accompanying us at the next school assembly on February 11th.

Chocolate! Is a bluesy-jazz song that features choreography that Mrs. Hafellner first created in 2010 for her then 7th grade choir in Georgetown, Ohio. The song became a student-favorite throughout the years and states and countries. We will bring this song to the Landesjungensingen Wettbewerb in Leoben this year in April. The clear two-part harmony, the different vocal colors and placement as well as the clean choreography make the song a good candidate for competition success! Not to mention just how much the students enjoy it.

Choir is a time-investment for the students. It does require extra rehearsals and home-study, but the students show a true passion for the class. It doesn’t matter if you feel that you have vocal talent or not, there is a place for you in choir and Mrs. H. focuses on teaching good technique that is accessible for each student.

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us last night. It was a real heart-warming experience to see so many happy faces in the audience!