The West Bloomfield School District’s Pre-Festival Concert on March 10th, 2015 was an event not one student should have missed. Attendees were able to hear the true talent within their peers and really have an admiration for music. Not only that, freshman Blake Bordelove noticed “the progression in vocal talent as the different age groups performed, beginning with 7th graders from Orchard Lake and Abbott Middle Schools to the West Bloomfield High School’s Concert Choir.”

The show began with High School’s Choral group which sang Tell My Ma by Mark Patterson and Wake Me a Song by Andrea Ramsey. They had small hand gestures which were all in sync and Bordelove expressed that “their voices were so mature for their age.”

Next to perform was the 7th grade Varsity singers then 8th grade Viking Voices from Orchard Lake Middle School. Sophomore Stasarahmy Haynes, who is in the West Bloomfield Chamber Choir admired these groups, saying that “both groups had extremely talented singers for being the young ages of 11-13. Nearly all of the songs they sang included 3 part harmonies, and not one student got distracted.” Also, an 8th grade boy played the drums for the 7th graders during their performance of Banjo On My Knee by Stephen Foster and Jerry Estes. April Tini conducted the groups, accompanied by Marjorie Haber on the piano.

West Bloomfield High School’s Concert Choir was next and definitely grabbed the attention of the audience with their a capella to Linus and Lucy by Mark and Harry Warren. They were skilled enough to sing, although there was no person directing them. Their second performance was after the Abbott combined choir and Haynes “could see how much fun they were having” while singing Honeysuckle Rose by Kirby Shaw. Although they were having a good time, the choir was very focused and mature.

The Abbott Combined Choir had the audience’s eyes locked when they went on stage with variety of colored jeans. Every other choir had matching outfits, while they had pants varying in colors from blue to bright pink. Erica Jones, a freshman in Chorale, believed that “John Deierlein did a superior job controlling and directing the prodigious group.”

Before all groups sang together, the West Bloomfield High School Chamber Choir presented the audience with Esto Les Digo by Kinley Lange and Chindia by Alexandru Paccanu. One must acknowledge the substantial job they did singing in another language. After their showing, Bruce Snyder a music director beginning at the age of 17, gave the Chamber Choir some constructive criticism. It was very interesting to see his teaching and directing skills. He had done it in a vigorous yet strict way, and one could definitely hear an improvement in their sound once he was done. The show then ended with a strong performance of Celebrate with Music by Mary Lightfoot by all vocal groups.