A sweet union for choir's annual Sweet Serenade

On Saturday Oct. 21, friends and family gathered together to share and experience the love of music with Samo’s choir department at Sweet Serenade. Choir department leader Jeff Huls, organized this concert in the Centennial Quad with food, laughter and of course music. In addition to this concert being a source of entertainment, it has a deeper meaning. Sweet Serenade illustrates the passion and love that this program offers and it allows students to be vulnerable. “Sweet Serenade is meaningful to me because it’s the first time that the entire choral program comes together every year. The most memorable part was singing Let It Be because it was an ensemble piece that showcased both emotion and technique,” Izzy Kleiman (’19) said. A silent auction is also a major part of this concert, in order to raise money to support this program and allow it to go on influencing students lives. Friends and family of the students donate artwork, coupons and other things that can be auctioned off. To start off the concert, 32 students performed solo pieces that they got to choose themselves along with accompaniment from either other students, a private voice teacher or the choir departments pianist, Inna Ganelis. Following the solos, each section (Women's and Men’s Chorus, Chorale, Madrigal and Chamber) performed songs of their own. After, the choir department as a whole sang the song “Let it Be” as the finale. “Sweet serenade is the start of the year! It kicks off the year for choir with lots of fun and love! Our choir just let it all out there and had so much fun. It has a huge variety of pieces and brings us together as a community. It's what starts the whole year off and it makes for people have fun and start new friendships!” Sophie Golay (’19) said. Choir students have expressed the meaning of this concert to them and the most memorable part. “Sweet Serenade to me is beautiful. You get to see students whom you probably haven't even seen before perform live and it's amazing. The most memorable part for me was when I saw my sister Sumta Sandhu (’18) sing ‘Don't Know Why’ by Norah Jones and my best friend Sophie Golay (’19) sing ‘Tiny Dancer’ by Elton John,” Sheena Sandhu (’19) said.As a whole, Sweet Serenade was a great way to start off the year and give a taste of how the choir department influences students. This year’s outcome gives a positive prediction for what next year will be like.