Oxford Academy’s choir program performed their Fall Preview Concert, “Let the Good Times Roll,” on Sept. 20th and 21st at Kennedy Performing Arts Center, showcasing themes of positivity, determination, and faith.
The show features both unique songs and others that will appear later in the year at the Festival Preview Concert and Pops Show. The students started preparing for it during the 2023-24 school year, learning the choreography to the titular song from their upcoming November musical “In the Heights.” In the past months, they’ve practiced singing, dancing, and translating smiles to the stage through songs like “Apple Tree” by AURORA and “Trying Too Hard” from the TV show “Central Park.”
“You know, you start with pieces. You start teaching this section of the vocal parts. You start teaching this section of the choreography,” program director Mr. Hogan said. “And then at this point, being a week out from the show, you’re really starting to see things happen…[and getting] closer to what you want the finished product to be. I love that process.”
Aditri Harish, co-president of the executive board, was not only heavily involved in producing the show, but spearheads the choir program at large. Her responsibilities include arranging rehearsals, relaying information to students, and helping expand everyone’s skills beyond their individual strengths.
“I’ve noticed a lot of improvement with singing,” Harish said. “We have a lot of dancing-oriented people this year, which is really nice to have in our class, but I think we’ve grown a lot, specifically in terms of vocals.”
The choir’s early preparation has helped them adjust to learning the material and collaborating with each other. Even the skills of the more experienced performers might not always merge as expected, but the students’ hard work resolves the issue.
“I think just because we’re in a brand-new class…we still have to kind of gel together a little bit, but we’ve been doing great so far,” Harish said. “I think compared to the first few weeks of school, we’ve grown a lot just in terms of being one unit.”
The choir’s next project is In the Heights, a musical centered around a bodega owner in the close-knit community of Washington Heights, New York. Along with Harish as Nina, the cast includes senior Diego Munoz as Usnavi, junior Ava Pitts as Vanessa, freshman Jack Sequeira as Benny, and senior Eryn Riley as Abuela Claudia.
“Practicing for the Fall Preview Concert is an introduction to what stage is like,” Pitts said. “For a lot of the seventh and eighth graders, this is their first time performing on a stage, so being musically toned and knowing what presence to have while on a stage in front of a crowd will prepare everyone for the musical.”
The OA Singers have proven their dedication to their craft time and again, and these past months are no exception. Weeks of rigorous rehearsals have proven that the choir is a versatile legion of artists determined to stun the audience with their ceaseless vigor and camaraderie on stage.
