GRC Winter Concert is Tuesday – Winchester Sun

On a rainy Thursday afternoon, George Rogers Clark High School choir director Kris Olson could be heard teaching students in his classroom.

“It’s raining out there, but I don’t want rain in your hearts,” he said.

Music from the heart with a touch of holiday cheer will be played in the high school on Tuesday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m. as the choir, band and orchestra work together to put together the GRC Winter Concert.

“This is one of the few concerts we do that has almost the entire department involved,” Olson said. “There’s a lot of collaboration going on, which is really exciting.”

Various groups – male choir, female choir, Cardinal Singers, symphonic band, concert band, percussion ensemble, jazz band and orchestra – will take part in the concert. Not only that, there is also a wide range of music on offer.

“No matter what your tastes, there will be something at this concert that will appeal to you for this season,” added Olson.

Genres including sacred, secular, traditional and more are presented and as a result a wide list of songs can be counted on.

These include “White Christmas”, “Sleigh Ride”, “I want a hippo for Christmas”, “In the Bleak Midwinter”, “Silent Night” and more.

“I love seeing the audience’s faces light up when they hear their favorite song and watching the song along with us,” said Mallory Jones, a sophomore who was in the women’s choir last year and is now with the Cardinal Singers. “It’s just a great experience.”

Cardinal Singers include soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.

“The bass section is very close-knit. We joke a lot, but in the end we always manage to get the job done, whether it’s just individually or all together,” said sophomore Keenan Robinson. “We enjoy it, but at the same time we are very serious.”

For some students, like Junior Zach Ross, the concert stands out given some of the challenges of recent years.

“I think a very special part of this winter concert now is that it’s post COVID and we can come together again as a community,” he said.

Ross attends his second consecutive winter concert, adding that the second time offers a slightly different reaction.

“I almost feel more confident in my particular vocal part because I’ve been able to train with it for a couple of years now,” he said. “We have great leaders.”

In addition to the singing, various instruments are also presented.

Some new things will be on display at this year’s event for people who attended last year.

“One of the drum pieces was actually arranged by one of our students,” Olson said. “The repertoire is simply always new, which invigorates it for us.”

For Olson, it’s hopeful that this concert will bring out the best in artists and viewers.

“I hope the kids really have fun together. Singing is really important at this time of year,” he said. “The holidays can really be a busy, stressful and often sad time for many people and I hope our concert can go a long way towards making people feel whole.”