By Marisa Dawson
Bennington High School choir students brought a little Halloween spirit to the stage October 29, trading traditional concert attire for creative costumes during the vocal music department’s annual Halloween Concert.
The evening featured performances from Out of the Blue, Bass Choir, Treble Choir and Concert Choir, giving each ensemble an opportunity to showcase its work before the entire department came together for a final performance.
The Halloween concert has been a longstanding tradition at Bennington, according to Vocal Music Director Tye Hanke. While some of the selections incorporate Halloween themes, this year’s program also emphasized student musicianship, soloists and live instrumentation.
“We tried to pick music that incorporated lots of instruments and soloists,” Hanke said.
One of the evening’s highlights was the full-department performance of “I Put a Spell on You” from Hocus Pocus. The number featured student soloists Nat Rivera, Katherine Sukraw, Prise Yates and Alex Vondra, along with a student band made up of eight musicians. Students Liliana Martic and Cadence Sindelar also contributed choreography to the performance.
The other ensembles each brought something different to the program. Out of the Blue, an auditioned small ensemble of mixed voices that focuses on a cappella pop music, performed “Life Support” and “Rise Up,” both arranged by Rob Dietz.
Bass Choir, a non-auditioned ensemble for bass voices, performed “This Old Hammer,” accompanied by student percussionists, as well as “Gaston” from Beauty and the Beast. Treble Choir, a non-auditioned ensemble for treble voices, performed “Windy Nights” and “I’m in Love With a Monster” from Hotel Transylvania 2.
Concert Choir, an auditioned mixed-voice ensemble, presented excerpts from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, including “O Fortuna,” along with “Chain of Fools,” featuring student soloists and instrumental accompaniment.
Each group offers students a different musical experience, but all contribute to the broader goal of developing musicianship and building a collaborative program.
Hanke said the beginning of the school year is an important period of growth as students establish themselves within their ensembles. Each curricular choir works through seven chapters of music literacy, developing the skills needed to read music. Early instruction focuses on pitch and rhythm, with vocal technique introduced toward the end of the first semester and continuing through the second semester.
Beyond the music itself, the Halloween theme provides students with an opportunity to express their creativity in a more relaxed performance setting.
Dressing in costume is optional, but Hanke said most students embrace the opportunity. The tradition has continued over the years in part because students have done a good job of keeping their costumes school appropriate.
The music department also sponsors a Badger Boo room two days before the concert, giving students another opportunity to experiment with costume ideas and prepare for the event.
For Hanke, one of the most encouraging aspects of this year’s performance was seeing students manage the pressure of being on stage.
“Typically, we get excited to be on stage and we tend to rush tempos due to nerves, but I did not experience that at all at our first concert,” he said. Students appeared to handle stage anxiety better than expected, which Hanke described as a significant accomplishment.
He also sees the choir program as an opportunity for students to build connections beyond their usual social circles. Bringing together students with different interests, backgrounds and perspectives creates an environment where they can learn to work toward a common goal.
“Choir is great because it pulls students together from completely different social circles that do not typically have lots of opportunities to interact,” Hanke said.
He believes those experiences help students develop important life skills, learning how to contribute to a team while appreciating the individual experiences and perspectives each person brings.
“The team is very diverse in ideas and I think it is important for students to see that a team functions at its best when teammates bring their individual experiences and perceptions to the group,” he said.
From individual ensemble performances to the combined finale, the Halloween Concert offered students an opportunity to showcase their musical progress while celebrating creativity, collaboration and the school’s longstanding choir tradition.
