Feature photo by: Savana Kovacs- Chromatics choir members perform during their annual winter touring. The new red dresses, opposite of their traditional black, are featured.
This year, the Rangeview show choirs — as many would say — have been off to a very good start, despite a few changes. From the new show choir outfits, to the yearly Nebraska trip and their expanding annual Winter Tour, the show choirs are off to a very successful year.
At the end of last year, the company that had previously provided the outfits for Chromatics was closed, meaning that they could no longer purchase their widely recognised outfits from there.
Choir teacher Mr. Laguana said that, “As always, we hope the company will stay in business, but it was a smaller company and it got absorbed.”
Laguana mentioned that through planning ahead and saving, the cost of new outfits went down greatly, “With the amount of money that the program has been saving… We don’t get everything we want, but we had some money left over.”
From this, the choir had chosen a new look for the next year and began to fundraise in order to supplement the money needed to buy the outfits. Through sales of tumblers as well as a Coldstone Creamery fundraiser, the show choirs had raised enough money to be able to purchase the sparkly red ensemble that they now perform in. With the ability to have the new outfits in Chromatics, there may soon be new outfits in Rhapsody as well.
“We’re getting some really good compliments. In fact, it makes me want to buy some new ones for Rhapsody as well if we get the opportunity,” said Laguana.
Chloe Cubbison, a junior in Rhapsody, also went on to compliment the new outfits and express her approval of the new outfits stating, “I think that they’re really pretty! I want Rhapsody to have one’s similar to it because I like how they are flowy and sparkly.”
In addition to the new outfits, this year was the first year that the APS Choral Festival was held at Rangeview High School. Typically, the annual festival is held at Vista Peak high school.
“It was amazing! I loved hosting the event,” said Laguana. “Something that I find interesting is that [there were] so many schools, and I wasn’t sure exactly how it was going to work having [the Choral festival] here. But we fit in there really well, the timing went really well, the kids were great, I’d love to host it again.”
At the festival, both the Rhapsody and Chromatics show choirs performed. As other schools arrived, the schools also thought that the Rangeview choirs were very welcoming.
“It was great. It was just something for Rangeview to show how we’re working together as a district in our music department, not just Rangeview vs Gateway vs Hinkley vs Central,” Laguana said.
Along with the choir festival, the show choirs also went to the Old West Choir Festival held in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. For the last few years, the group has maintained both Silver and Gold rankings in this competition. On November 4th, Chromatics and Rhapsody both ranked Silver in the Festival.
Laguana also went on to mention other needed improvements saying, “I think dynamics is the next level we need to go to, but really if i’m talking about placement and dynamics those are two things that are totally capable in the upcoming time.”
Senior Keshawn Bradshaw commented on how Chromatics did at Nebraska saying, “I think our choir really did good. There’s definitely some parts that we could do better and that’s something that we definitely learned this year, although we got Gold last year for Chromatics.”
But, all those that travel to Nebraska for this competition agree that the most important part of this yearly trip, is the bonding that occurs.
“There was no drama or anything and it’s nice because in the school there’s a whole bunch of drama,” Cubbison mentioned. “My favorite part was being able to bond with everyone and just having the whole experience altogether. It was nice to see everyone getting along.”
On Friday, December 8th, the show choirs also traveled around the city of Aurora to showcase their talent in many different venues, including Dalton Elementary School and the Realtors Luncheon in Denver.
The yearly tour continues to expand as the Rangeview show choirs continue to be invited to more events. Laguana mentioned that he had been asked a few times to return to the Realtor’s luncheon but had to deny going because of the timing. “It makes me feel real special. For the Realtor’s Luncheon, actually, they gave us a donation as well for performing for them and they always ask us.”
In the Spring, the show choirs are looking forward to competing in the CHSAA Music Festival, which will be the the final festival for the school year, as well as seeing how the choir stacks up against the rest of the choirs in Colorado.
Laguana stated, “What I’m interested to seeing is working on our softest softs and out loudest louds, our strongest point in there, showing how we can grow.”
“I think that [CHSAA] will be an improvement from Nebraska because Nebraska is like our little practice preparation for CHSAA,” commented Cubbison.
This annual end-of-year contest is highly anticipated among the students and shows a very defining moment for both choirs.
Many people say that the Rangeview Show Choirs continue to have growing success as their performances continue to grow in demand. Many would say that they have endured through hardships that others would have simply given up mon. People in and outside of this department agree that the Rangeview Show Choirs have a successful season ahead of them and that they will have a successful year overall.
