The voice is a versatile instrument; it can cover the entire spectrum of human emotions. Whether it conveys the dream of a child or a tribute to a jazz legend, regardless of enhancement by the classic piano or an ensemble of tuned water bottles, vocal music brings audiences together regardless of their unique life experiences.
All these tenets of music were demonstrated at the IUSD Choral Festival on Nov. 2. Under the shared roof of the Portola High Performing Arts Center, all five IUSD high schools joined to celebrate the artistry of their choirs and receive evaluations from professional adjudicator and Choral and Vocal Studies Director at Saddleback College Brandon Elliot.
“It was really fantastic,” Elliot said. “First of all, I’m an alum of IUSD –– I graduated from Irvine High School –– so it’s nice to be back to my home district, and this is such a great way to capture the amazing work happening at the high school level with all the choirs.”
Throughout the night, choirs from Woodbridge High, Portola High, Irvine High, University High and Northwood High performed three songs each.
Canta Bella, one of three advanced choir ensembles at Portola High, opened the night by performing two songs from the set of Five Hebrew Love Songs by Eric Whitacre: “Temuná” and “Kalá Kallá.” Each of the songs represented postcards capturing moments within romantic relationships, according to Principal John Pehrson who introduced Canta Bella.
“We used the songs from our last choir concert, so it was really just a matter of going over the songs again and refining it,” Canta Bella member and senior Emaleena Elson said. “A big thing for us was putting emotion to the song and refining our sound.”
“Temuná” thoughtfully evoked the dichotomy between light and dark through effective use of silence. In “Kalá Kallá,” translating to “Light Bride,” a hauntingly melancholic melody was contrasted by sections with fast, precise notes rising and falling against the backdrop of piano accompaniment. In tandem, these two songs evoked complex feelings of love at two entirely different stages of a relationship.
Finally, Canta Bella performed “La Paloma,” a Venezuelan Folk Song arranged by Cristian Grases. This song details one’s grim outlook on life following a failed romantic relationship, with lyrics stating that “everything in life is a lie and the only truth in life is death.”
“In the final verse a mutilated pigeon is presented to the lover as a parting gift and a reminder of the damage they caused,” Pehrson said. “Please enjoy.”
After a round of hearty chuckles from the audience at Pehrson’s humorous delivery of the final line, vocal music instructor Adrian Rangel-Sanchez took the helm of a pair of conga drums while Canta Bella member and senior Kody Lin shook a maraca. Above this syncopated, Latin rhythm, Canta Bella perfectly executed their fast paced yet varied notes.
In preparation for the festival, Canta Bella –– all of whom are sopranos and altos –– developed a close bond with one another.
“We’re all really really good friends and we all love to mess around in the choir room before we sing and everything,” Elson said.
Non-Canta Bella members of the choir program came as audience members to show their support, such as seniors Ethan Chan, Jewelia Libejas-Suarez and David Sloan.
“As a fellow choir member I really wanted to see what the other schools had to offer,” Libejas-Suarez said. “Mr. Rangel told me that this would be the highest choir of every other school in Irvine and I thought it was a really great opportunity I couldn’t miss.”
Canta Bella celebrated their successful performance and looks forward to preparing for the next choir concert on Dec. 16.
“It was so amazing, and we did so good,” Canta Bella member and freshman Jolie Aguilar said. “We really ate it up.”
