The Choraleers stand proudly on top of their risers, perfecting their footwork and notes while keeping to the tune of the song “Best of My Love” by The Emotions, all in preparation for the upcoming last production Soiree.
Choraleers is a singing group at Milford High, comprised of 29 total girls all looking forward to their next performance, Soiree. Every member spends more than three hours after school two days per week practicing in the choir room with Mrs. Lambrecht, their instructor, to make their last production of the year a wonderful and amazing time for all who come to watch.
Soiree is a performance by the Choraleers, and is completely student-run. The students choose their own songs and choreograph their own dances, as well. A lot of work goes into Soiree, and the Choraleers always look forward to a big audience.
Soiree has its own kind of “senior showcase”, where the seniors of Choraleers have the option to sing and dance their own song, since this will be the last year for them to perform at Milford.
One of the seniors in Choraleers is Catie Pietsch, who is excited for her ending performance of high school.
“I really like learning and singing our own [chosen] song, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made,” she said. Pietsch says that she’s lucky to be in Choraleers, since she wasn’t in Concert Choir first, like most of the members of Choraleers have. This is going to be her first, last and only year of Choraleers and she couldn’t be happier to be in it.
Senior Zoe Neamos has been part of Choraleers since her Sophomore year, and is really sad that she’s going to be leaving the group after graduation. She says she will miss the caring people of Choraleers. “The best part was making relationships with people I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t been in Choraleers,” said Neamos. In essence, Choraleers is about doing what you love with who you love.
Junior Alecia Morris tell it like it is – it’s a lot of hard work to be part of Choraleers, even if it is what you love doing. “I never feel prepared,” Morris admits. “If someone [in Choraleers] is prepared, I’d like to know what their secret is.” This is a humble statement, since Morris remembered more of one of the dances than anybody else dancing, and the rest of Choraleers agree.
When practicing, the girls from one row on the stage dances and sings in front of the rest of group, who then provides feedback for their improvement. When Alecia was “spotted”, as it is called, nobody could find any faults with her dance. Everyone agreed that she was the most prepared for Soiree.
Pietsch even said, “Alecia is usually a really shy girl, but when she sings and dances, she shows a lot of emotion and comes out of her shell. She doesn’t know how great she is.”
Choraleer practice doesn’t start until 2:30 p.m. after school, and Junior Nicillette Montgomery can be found outside the Choir room eating salty French fries from the locol McDonalds. She says that Choraleers is a place to be “accepted for who you are, and nobody is judged here.” Montgomery loves being surrounded by people who accept her for herself, and Choraleers makes her feel like she belongs there.
Nobody can deny that these girls are trying their best to make Soiree the best Choraleer production of 2013. Come support them at Soiree on May 17 at 7 p.m. in the CPA!