By Oonagh Yageh '25
The halls of Notre Dame are being decked with boughs of holly in spirit by the freshman and sophomore choir classes, as well as by the glee club. Seasoned singers and beginners alike practiced together for the first time during the choral retreat on Saturday, November 13th.
“I think it’s very fun and an opportunity to bond with the other Chez Nous sisters and to join as a whole community,” said Samantha Mazariego, a 9th-grade choir member.
Without a phone in sight, all choir members were entirely present as vocal exercises began. Because this was an extended rehearsal, there was much room for in-depth and more instructional practice.
Although we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s concert received the green light to be an in-person event with some constraints. “Singing with a mask is just not the same... but we have made it work. There are certain drills and tactics you must do to sing with a mask on and everyone has adapted pretty well,”
Ms. Wakabayashi said. Thankfully, health measures haven’t dampened the excitement surrounding this annual event.
During rehearsal, each section had the opportunity to hear their group sing by themselves, followed by all the sections together. This gave everyone the chance to hear what they might need to improve upon, in addition to showing singers how performing in the Dolan Center compares to practicing in a classroom. “I’m happy that I get to sing with the Chez Nous community and meet new people while trying things I might not have tried
before,” 9th-grade choir member Meaghan Powers commented. Even though this is an annual Christmas event, Ms. Wakabayashi has taken it upon herself to “try to diversify the repertoire for the winter concert and not just focus solely on Christmas music. We are doing some pieces in Hebrew and in French, and have added some fun pop to the repertoire.” There are traditions that are constant fixtures in the concert. “We've closed the concert with Chance the Rapper's Blessings for the past five years in addition to some fun sing-along Christmas carols. I love the opportunity to give choir members a chance to sing a solo and make it their own,” said Ms. Wakabayashi.
All in all, the preparations for the Christmas concert are an opportunity for the Notre Dame community to get closer and have experiences potentially out of their comfort zone. Tune in to watch the concert live-streamed on Thursday, December 16th. There will also be a performance on Friday, December 17th during an assembly for students and faculty.
Editors: Nicole Madej '22, Adithi Vimalanathan '22, Natalia Cseh '23, Ms. Brilliant
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