LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – On Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week, the Los Alamitos High School show choir hosted their annual Showcase show where they debuted this year’s sets ahead of the start of their competition season. 

The show started out with the concert choir Xpressions showcased their vocal talent by performing two acapella songs, directed by Mrs. Dherlin, the head director of LAHS choir. Their first song was a Russian hymn titled “Bogoroditse Devo” and the second was “The Rainmaker,” an African song that told the story of a young boy finding rain for his village. 

This was followed by Mrs. Dherlin greeting the crowd and introducing the show to the community. 

“In our show this evening, you’re going to be seeing the development. You’re going to be seeing shows that are work in progress as we work towards our competition season,” Mrs Dherlin said to the audience as she introduced the show.

After this, the curtains closed and Senior Jenna Currey, an Orange County Artist of the Year nominee came on stage. She performed an emotional solo, singing, “When She Loved Me.”

The curtains then opened and Axcent drew the crowd into the heroic world of Sailor Moon. Sophomore Sienna Esposito stars as Sailor Moon and provides the audience with sharp dance moves and expressive facials as she works to defeat evils alongside the other Sailors. The importance of friendship and bravery carried the story as the beginning girls choir gave the crowd an uplifting show. 

After Axcent exited the stage, senior Arron Myers performed a solo dance number to “Paper Hearts,” showcasing his talent that earned him a nomination for OC Artist of the year alongside the previous soloist Jenna Currey.

Next, the intermediate girls choir Xquisite welcomed the crowd into a bustling Starbucks as they served their customers in a chaotic environment. Throughout the entertaining performance, the atmosphere in the PAC became more energetic as the crowd laughed at the numerous jokes and muttered along to popular pop songs. 

After Xquisite wrapped their set, the community was immediately transported to Paris as Xtreme performed a suspenseful show about the Paris Louvre heist that occurred on Oct. 19 last year. The humorous performance expressed themes of teamwork and perseverance as the intermediate boys choir worked together to steal jewels from the Louvre. 

Once the heist came to an end, Senior Sofia Guetterman entered and provided the crowd with a beautiful performance of “All I Ask,” once again showcasing her skill that earned her a nomination for OC Artist of the Year along with some of her peers. 

The advanced girls’ choir Soundtrax then took the stage to tell the story of Elizabeth Arden and Helena, two rival women prominent in the beauty industry. With Lunah Vazquez and Adriana Medina as the two main soloists, the girl group depicted the changing role of women in society with intense rivalry and eventual emotional maturity. The audience was silent throughout, carefully paying attention and analyzing the meaningful story before the curtains closed and a 15-minute intermission began. 

Connexion, the intermediate mixed choir, kicked off act two with a set based off the popular “Oregon Trail” video game popular in the ‘90s. This performance appealed to the inner child of every millennial in the crowd who spent their time playing the often frustrating game. Laughs could be heard echoing through the PAC as the crowd noticed references from the game and throwbacks to the technology of the time period. 

The last soloist of the night was another OC Artist of the Year nominee and lead from the Soundtrax set, Lunah Vazquez. She serenaded the crowd with “Go The Distance” from the Disney movie “Hercules.”

Finally, last but not least, SoundFX, the advanced mixed choir, struck fear among the audience with their dark and suspenseful set based on the horror movie, “The Hollow.” Sophomore Dylan Lobo, senior Arron Myers and junior Kensington Nelson were the three main soloists who helped tell the story of a town haunted by a terrible monster. The props, lighting and vocals pulled the show together and kept the crowd on edge as the story transitioned through themes of manipulation, fear and eventually justice, bringing the show to a close. 

The Spotlight show was a great way to showcase the hardwork, determination and talent of LAHS students and give community members a sneak peek at this year’s competition sets. 

“We put a lot of work into the cleaning of it, because these sets ultimately decide where we stand as a choir in the national ranking. And being able to test these sets in front of an audience is a very special privilege for a new choir student such as myself,” Lukas Crichton, a freshman and member of Connexion and Xtreme said. 

The LAHS choir program’s first competition this season will be at Esperanza High School on Feb. 27 and 28. Be sure to wish them luck as they strive to earn awards both locally and at the Show Choir Nationals in Orlando!