Samo Choir bring perpetual motion of music back to life
Ava Bourdeau, Co-Opinion Editor
“Ladies and gentlemen, for the purpose of the show, I ask you to hold your applause.”
These words, seemingly out of place at a concert, were spoken fervently by Samo choir director, Jeffe Huls. In a long-awaited return to Barnum Hall, the choirs performed on Dec. 10 in their Motus Perpetuus concert. Arguably the group’s most unique performance, Motus Perpetuus (Latin for “perpetual motion”) is a kinetic sensory experience which forces the audience to remain silent as students sing from all corners of the auditorium. This year’s choir co-president, Chloe Stavis (’22), helped lead the group in a wonderful night of music-making.
“[Motus Perpetuus] is our winter concert of perpetual motion. There are no pauses and we’re constantly moving around Barnum… it really helps you feel the music with how you carry yourself,” Stavis said.
This year is also the singers’ first time making music in the esteemed Barnum Hall since 2019. Flooding the hall with their joyful, youthful voices once again made for an emotional performance. After the show, students cried and hugged one another, ecstatic to have been able to sing again in their beloved auditorium. The program drew inspiration from what the students have overcome, heavily featuring themes of hope, strength and triumph.
Of course, coming back to the stage presented a good deal of challenges. Since first relegated to Zoom school in March of 2020, many students have graduated from the choir program, leaving the remainder to step up as leaders. Unfortunately, the current upperclassmen were robbed of seeing their predecessors in action. Most have only performed in a handful of in-person concerts, and before this year were strictly rehearsing digitally.
“In the past, I had relied on juniors and seniors to bring their institutional knowledge and leadership into the concert. Now, I don’t have any of that… the kids are singing really well, now it’s a matter of them becoming part of the show,” Huls said.
What the students may have lost these past months has been replaced by their overwhelming passion for choir. The Chamber Choir’s performance of “Songbird” was a beautiful display of teamwork, with students facing one another and moving in sync to the rhythm of their acapella. The finale, “Ain’t no Grave”, reflected the musician’s resilience. With confidently performed sign language, the choir showed the audience that even with no voice, their passion for music will endure. At its core, Samo’s choir program is about community. This was clearly on display tonight, as the work students put in together came to a beautiful climax. Choir veteran Raeva Vasisht (’23), along with other students, was ecstatic to regain this camaraderie during their return to Barnum.
“It was really surreal to be back in Barnum… it’s such a beautiful performance space and being back there makes me feel so lucky,” Vasisht said.
Hopefully, with such displays as Motus Perpetuus, elementary and middle school students will be reinspired to continue taking part in Santa Monica schools’ wonderful music program.
“The Samo choir program is unlike any other… The way Mr. Huls teaches takes things to a whole new level where the music courses through your veins and you can really feel it,” Stavis said.
The standing ovation received at the end of the performance was undoubtedly well deserved. The work and love put into Motus Perpetuus, characteristic of Samo visual arts performances, is a cause for optimism. No matter what challenges we face, music will always remain a safe haven.
Choir director Jeffe Huls conducts Samo choir in their final piece, “Ain’t No Grave.”