Newman Choirs Sweep Texas Music Festival

It takes more than an eight-hour bus ride to dampen the spirits of Newman’s Middle School and Upper School Choirs. Students in grades 6 through 12 sang their way to Dallas, Texas for the Music in the Parks competition, which attracted choirs from as far away as Minnesota. Led by Choir Director Anthony Sears and Accompanist Amanda Wadsworth, the choirs were ready to give it their all – and their efforts and talents were handsomely rewarded by the judges.

 

When the students arrived in Dallas on Friday night, they had a wonderful evening ahead of them. After dinner, the group walked from the hotel down to Meyerson Symphony Hall, a world-class concert space designed by I.M. Pei. The students enjoyed a private tour of the facility and learned about its painstakingly engineered acoustics and 4,500-pipe C.B. Fisk organ. The students had an opportunity to test the acoustics by singing an intricate and beautiful piece from the choir stands. After that, the group went next door to watch a production of Beauty and the Beast at the Winspear Opera House.

 

In the morning the group traveled to Midlothian High School for the Music in the Parks competition. Dressed in black velvet gowns and tuxedos, the choirs filed into the school’s performance space where they would later compete. The groups listened as competitors form Oklahoma and Mississippi sang for the judges. Each group sang a warm-up song and two assessed pieces as the judges thoughtfully listened, took notes, and later critiqued the performances.

 

First up from Newman was the Middle School Choir. The group’s warm-up piece was called “Yanaway Heyona,” an Iroquois song. Groups of students arranged themselves around the room and used call-and-response and a whispering interlude that mesmerized and seemed to impress the wide-eyed judges, who said that the choir could have used it as a judged piece. The choir sang the Hungarian folk song “Hey for the Dancing!” and Stephen Foster’s “Gentle Annie” for assessment. Mr. Sears added a little lagniappe by having the choir finish with “Tancuj, Tancuj,” a fast-paced Slovak song that delighted the judges and audience alike.

 

With the stage set by the Middle Schoolers, the Upper School Choir then performed. After warming up with the French song “Margoton,” the choir sang “Hear My Prayer, O Lord” by Henry Purcell. For its final song, the choir performed a rollicking and fun version of “When the Foeman Bears His Steel” from The Pirates of Penzance, complete with the boys dressed in Bobby hats and carrying batons. The song also featured solos by sophomore Sam Schaefer, junior Emma McAlister, freshman Rebecca French, and junior Will Milvid. Smiles and foot-tapping by the judges boded well for the singers.

 

The last performance of the day was by Newman’s jazz choir, Off Key.  The group warmed up with a fun version of the jazz classic “Save the Bones for Henry Jones” by Barker-Lee. For the judged pieces, the singers chose a haunting version of “My Funny Valentine” by Rodgers and Hart and Irving Berlin’s classic, “Blue Skies.” Again, the judges seemed impressed; it was a good end to the performances.

 

The choirs then loaded back on the buses and drove to Six Flags over Texas, where the awards ceremony would be held later that evening. The students had an opportunity to unwind, ride rides, or play games at the park. At 6:30 p.m., the group gathered in the park’s Music Mill arena for the awards Ceremony. The Music in the Parks competition included band performances as well as different singing competitions, but Newman’s choirs won every competition they entered! The School won first place in Middle School Mixed Choir, High School Mixed Choir, Jazz Choir, and Overall Best Performance. In addition to that, Emma McAlister won a medal for Best Soloist for her performance in the Pirates piece. Please join us in congratulating our excellent choirs for their outstanding performances!