Choir’s biggest event of the year is coming upon LHS as singers have intensely prepared for three days of Showtime performances.

An annual LHS event, this year’s Showtime has performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

“It is a huge challenge,” choir director Dwayne Dunn said. “Often our most talented performers are also our busiest students… so trying to schedule rehearsals for so many groups of students is like putting together a giant puzzle.”

The complexity of the show lies in it not only having performances by the three main choirs, but also that it features small ensemble groups of juniors and seniors.

“When I was in Belissima as a sophomore… [I] got to kind of test the waters,” said senior Kari Karnes. “It’s been really cool to increase my number of featured acts so my junior year I only did three and then this year I’m in six, so it’s been really cool to kind of progress like that.”

Showtime is at the end of the month, but work has gone on around the clock to be ready for the big days ahead.

“It’s a lot of fun but it’s a lot of hard work,” senior Jasmine Harader-Ellett said. “We’re doing a Christmas song by Ariana Grande so I’m really excited for that.”

Students working in independent acts have a lot of free rein in choosing what they want to do, selecting their own group and song, and working on the choreography.

“They have to do everything,” Dunn said. “Choose the song, obtain a legal copy of the sheet music and a legal recording of the song, recruit members for their group, decide how the song will be performed.”

This kind of opportunity gives students lessons in time management and hard work that may not go into a regular choir concert. Small groups especially require a lot of work from students, with some of that work taking place outside school, as students have to audition beforehand.

“Before auditions, we work at each others’ houses and stuff,” Karnes said. “[We] learn the songs and the choreography and Dr. Dunn will fix harmonies or add parts or take away parts that don’t sound good.”
After auditions, students work for four weeks with Dunn to perfect their ensemble and choir performances to be ready to showcase at the end of April, picking up lessons along the way.

“Many things are learned while doing Showtime,” Dunn said. “Some of them are about music.”

This will be Dunn’s fifth year overseeing Showtime, and he expects the same quality students have shown all year in choir classes.

“I truly enjoy watching all the student ideas and efforts blossom into such a great show,” Dunn said. “I know how talented the LHS students are because I hear them sing every day, but it is amazing how much they grow and mature as people during this process.”