This year, the Aragon Chamber Choir has had several performances outside of Aragon. Namely, they performed at Filoli on Nov. 29, Hillsdale Shopping Center on Dec. 9, and the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay on Dec. 10.
The performance at Filoli, from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., was a part of Filoli’s Holiday Traditions. The festival is two weeks long. The Chamber Choir has regularly performed there every year for the past eight years. “Interestingly enough, I got a few phone calls this year from people asking if we were coming to perform,” said Mr. Martin.
“I really liked the setlist”, stated Chamber Choir director David Martin prior to their performance. “It’s composed of Christmas novelty and traditional carol songs. I suppose you could call it an eclectic group of songs.” Some of the songs included Silent Night, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and March of the Wooden Soldiers.
“It was essentially the same setlist as last year’s,” commented junior Dana Pierce. She added, “It all sounded different, though, since a whole bunch of people graduated last year, and Chamber Choir is about half as large. So it was definitely different from last year.”
After singing in Filoli’s ballroom, junior Skylar Assaf felt the performance left a lasting impression. “Seeing the expressions on older people’s faces was utterly priceless; they just looked so joyful, that it made us all feel like we were really doing a great job.”
The performance at Hillsdale Shopping Center was on a Friday night from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. “It’s been at least five years since we’ve performed there, so it’s nice to be back,” Martin says. The Chamber Choir performed on a small stage near Nordstrom’s as part of Hillsdale Shopping Center’s holiday season. Many local groups will perform from Nov. 28 to Dec. 17. Martin also planned a “Chamber Choir Chowdown” at the Macaroni Grill.
The Chamber Choir’s most prestigious performance was the tree-lighting ceremony at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay on Dec. 10. The Chamber Choir was invited thanks to the efforts of Aimee Reed, the Aragon photography teacher.
Reed says, “Generally, the Half Moon Bay High School performs during the ceremony, but this year they couldn’t do it, so I suggested to my husband who does Sales and Marketing at the Ritz that Aragon’s Chamber Choir could do it.” Reed planned to attend the Chamber Choir’s performance during the tree-lighting performance.
There are no other gigs planned for the holiday season, but Martin has been planning several spring performances, including a trip to Disneyland.
