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Photograph by Douglas Rider
Jazzed Up: Gina Yacoub, Vanessa Landry and Audrey Erpelding (from left) are members of Presentation High School's Jazz Choir, which was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall April 1.
Presentation High School jazz choir performs at Carnegie Hall
By Amy Jenkins
Listening to the beautiful voices of the 22 member group of the Presentation High School Jazz Choir--known as the "Presentations"--it comes as no surprise they were chosen as one of the most outstanding vocal, all-girl jazz choirs in the nation by the Mid America committee. By itself, this honor may be enough, but the committee also invited them to perform at Carnegie Hall on April 1.
"Mid America committee presents an opportunity for young people to perform every year as part of the Carnegie Hall series," said Bob Russell, the choir's conductor, pianist and arranger.
The process of getting chosen was simple. After the committee sent out audition information to the school, Russell sent in a tape of the group performing, and they were selected "based on their quality," Russell said.
It is quite an accomplishment for a choir that was formed only a year ago and is the only choir at the school. The jazz choir began as an after-school activity and evolved into a class that meets three times a week for an hour and a half, Russell said.
Two days before their travel departure date, the practice room was filled with energy and excitement about the journey. Many of the members said they were excited about the trip to New York.
"I am nervous," said junior Julia Cochran about the performance at Carnegie Hall. "There is going to be a huge audience, and we will be competing with some other people who are music majors in college."
Five other high school choirs and two college choirs were chosen by the committee and were scheduled to perform on the same date. Each choir was slated to perform a six-minute piece, with one to be sung by a mass choir of all the participating schools. The Presentations planned to sing "I'm Beginning To See the Light" and "The Nearness of You," both arranged and directed by Russell.
But the performance was to be only part of the trip. The choir planned, on March 29 and 30, to spend between five and six hours at a music school in New York, where they would be "exposed to jazz greats of the nation," who would teach them improvisation, vocal, microphone, solo and ensemble techniques, Russell said.
They were also to be judged at the school based on a half-hour performance. Other songs to be sung on the trip were Duke Ellington's "Almighty God/Heaven," "You Must Believe in Spring" and "Father Forgive," arranged by Phil Mattson.
Even with the full itinerary of practices, rehearsals and workshops, the members would get a chance to see some of the sights of New York. The choir planned to divide into groups, each with a chaperone, and tour the city.
Cochran said her group would see several Broadway shows, including 42nd Street, Les Miserables and Oklahoma. She goes to New York every other year but is still excited about the trip, she said.
Lizzie O'Hara, on the other hand is "the only member in a family of eight not born in New York." She planned to visit the neighborhood where her family grew up.
"I'm having lots of fun," O'Hara said of the jazz choir. "I can't afford singing lessons so this is making my voice stronger."
Other members had vocal experience prior to joining the choir. Cochran has been in the San Jose Children's Musical Theatre since she was 6 and senior Rangashree Varadarajan learned how to sing at a young age from her mother, who is a professional South Indian Classical music singer.
"The girls get along really well," Russell said. "They care for each other and protect each other. They are all very nice people, want to sing and enjoy doing it."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
