The annual choir Pops Concert, held on May 30, honored the Class of 2025 and created a mix of celebration and nostalgia. There was a dynamic lineup including pieces from artists such as Beyonce, the Beatles and Amy Winehouse.
Highlights included moving solos, harmonized trios and energetic full-choir numbers that kept the audience engaged throughout the evening. The concert commenced with a solo by Canta Bella member and junior Nada Yousef, supported by the entire choir department’s vocals.
“The solo was nerve wracking,” Yousef said. “I was told that I had it a few days before, but to be honest, everyone told me that I made the crowd hype, and that’s all that matters. I was really excited on stage, nervous, but I thought it was really fun.”
The first half featured “When the Chips Are Down” from the musical Hadestown performed by Portola Singers members and seniors Gosla Khamsehnia, Alexia Choi and Sara Haidar, complemented by stylish formations and eloquent dance moves. Pieces like these are what make the Pops concert so exciting for fellow choir members, according to Treblemakers member and senior Ivan Bascos.
“This concert, I really like all the choreo and it was a great bonding event to learn how to dance together and sing together,” Bascos said. “It was very hard, but we all pulled together and we did it as a group and a team.”
For many seniors, this final concert marked the end of their choir journey, a culmination of four years spent growing, performing and forming a close-knit family.
“Portola choir was probably the biggest sense of community that I had in high school,” Bascos said. “I really felt that everybody was a team. We could say hi to each other all the time, and at the end of it, everybody’s saying ‘don’t leave’ and ‘I’m so proud of you’ and everything like that. That was just such a big part of my life.”
These small memories of concerts and practices surrounded by friends and family built up over time and have left a lasting impact on the graduating seniors, according to Portola Singers member and senior Josh Shelly.
“Honestly, I didn’t like it when I was there, but now I really look back and I love and miss it,” Shelly said. “I feel like I got to see a lot of repertoire that I wouldn’t have seen ever and I realized now that that was really special to me. We also got to do a lot of things that I probably would have never done in high school. I would have probably never done a dance to Beyonce in high school or go to New York without choir.”
