Center Stage carolers spread holiday cheer

An odd mix of sparkly red-and-black-clad freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors alike huddled together in the cold, listening intently for the quiet G being issued from an electronic pitch pipe. With a soft hum, the group assembled into two arched lines, and with a “One-Two-Three-Four”, launched into lively song.

This scene then repeated: indoors, outdoors, and everywhere in between. For Milford’s co-ed varsity choir, Center Stage, Christmas is the busiest time of the year.

Each weekend and some weeknights in December, groups from the choir head out to perform as hired or volunteer carolers. Some gigs are booked through private parties, some through large businesses, and some as a community service gesture through local nursing homes or schools. On average, the choir earns between $2,000-3,000 to put into costuming and props for their shows.

Depending on the size of the event or gig, either all 26 members go, or 4, 8, 16, and so on. As long as there is a balance between the 4 different vocal parts (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), the group is ready to go. Even sometimes, two events are occurring at the same time, and Center Stage sends out two teams of carolers.

Here is a preview of some of the group’s work, filmed at their 2015 Holiday Concert.

(Video edited by Nathan Davis)

The group has a set list with a total running time of around 45 minutes. However, each gig poses its own challenges and unique circumstances. Depending on the parameters of each event, the group will sing anywhere from 2-12 songs, dance, or otherwise entertain.

Even though it’s a lot of song and dance, the workload is pretty evenly distributed. Through rotating out who works which gig and having several songs that are sung only by select quartets or trios, members are able to spread out the work and maximize the amount of product.

Soloists include seniors Willow Collins, Lauren Johnson, Kasey Julian, Tess Ware, and Tiger Xamountry, as well as junior Julia Schwendenmann.

(Pictured: The Milford Messenger’s very own staff, Nathan Davis and Lauren Johnson)