Burroughs students tune up for Holiday Spectacular
The chorus strikes a pose at the end of a routine during a dress rehearsal for the Burroughs High School Holiday Spectacular on Tuesday. The show runs Dec. 9 through 11.
The holiday season, as singer Andy Williams put it, is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s also the busiest time of the year for nearly 400 students at John Burroughs High School.
On Monday, students in the instrumental and vocal departments were spending their evening practicing and fine-tuning the musical acts they will be performing during this weekend’s Holiday Spectacular.
From Friday through Sunday in John Burroughs’ auditorium, the high school’s renowned bands and choirs will be serenading attendees with classic holiday songs, such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Silent Night.”
The students will also be playing some alternative favorites, such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s rendition of “Carol of the Bells,” a somber cover of the late Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and the funky track “Eight Days (of Hanukkah)” by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.
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A dancer in the chorus sings and dances during the dress rehearsal Tuesday.
Band director Taylor Arakelian was busy that evening going over a medley of holiday songs with his band, stopping every once in a while to tell certain sections of the ensemble to pay attention to the tempo and tighten up their playing.
“We have rehearsals from 4 to 9 p.m. this week,” he said, adding that he uses class time during the day to go over the songs with his students. “It’s really a huge time investment for the kids, but, at the very end of the day, it really pays off.”
This being his third time conducting at the concert, Arakelian said the toughest part about the three-night show is getting the students used to playing a variety of music styles and being able to switch from one genre of music to another.
The show opener, which is the holiday medley, has been the piece that Arakelian has spent the most time practicing. Numerous tempo and key changes throughout the piece make it difficult to perform.
However, despite its difficulty, Arakelian said he is confident that the medley will sound great come showtime.
“The kids are going to do great,” he said. “I think anyone that comes out to the show will be pleasantly surprised.”
Also at the rehearsal, vocal director Brendan Jennings and Burroughs graduate Katelyn McCarney were working with their choir groups Sound Sensations and Decibelles to practice the songs they will be performing at the show.
A student sings a solo during a dress rehearsal for the Burroughs High School Holiday Spectacular.
Senior Annie Price, who has performed in the Holiday Spectacular since her freshman year, said she is not nervous about getting all the songs down and singing in front of an audience.
One of the songs Price will be singing will be “Eight Days (of Hanukkah),” and she said she couldn’t wait to perform it.
“When I first heard that song, I thought it was really cool,” she said.
As the girls from Sound Sensations walked off the stage to let the band back in, Jennings and McCarney were able to take a breather and talk about the tweaks that needed to be made.
Jennings said that his students are getting used to switching from singing in the choir room to singing on stage in the auditorium, but it should not take long for them adjust.
“I’m trying to take the things that we prepared for in class and apply them to this new world,” he said. “The more experienced the kids are, the easier it is for them.”
Though Monday was just the first day of rehearsal, McCarney said she knows all the hard work and dedication the students are giving to the concert will pay off.
“Every year, they’ve been better, which always amazes me,” she said.
To purchase tickets, visit itsmyseat.com/JBHSVMA and click on “Holiday Spectacular.”
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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
