Show Choirs and Jazz Bands Kick Off Their Seasons at Winter Show
Avery Provorse ’24 sings a solo at the beginning of 4th Ave’s show
January 11, 2023
As the lights rise again in Opstad Auditorium, City High Show Choirs and Jazz Bands are preparing for their competition seasons. Their seasons both started at the annual Winter Show, a variety show featuring performances from City’s show choirs: Charisma and 4th Ave, as well as performances by Jazz Collective and Jazz Ensemble and special acts by students.
While this wasn’t the show choir and combo’s [the live music accompaniment for the show choirs] first performance of this year’s show, the Winter Show officially kicked off the upcoming season.
“The last time we performed all of these performances was at the [Works in Progress] showcase with West and Liberty,” said Combo and Jazz Band member Olivia Vande Berg ‘25. “I think everyone’s just really prepared for this show. We’re ready for it.”
Erin Partridge ‘24, a member of City’s varsity show choir, 4th Ave Jazz Company, was excited to perform this new show.
“I think [this show is] special because last year was kind of magical and this one seems a lot more intense and dark,” Partridge said.
Partridge is also happy to be a member of this year’s iteration of 4th Ave.
“A lot of the seniors left last year so there’s like a lot of new people in 4th Ave including me,” Partridge said. “And, you know, it’s different but it’s also exciting because it’s like a whole new group of people.”
4th Ave senior Sara Brenneman ‘23 is proud of how the group has come together this year.
“I think we’ve come to be really close. It was different in the beginning, obviously, because we were missing the seniors from last year and there’s a lot of younger [people] in the group which there usually isn’t, so the knowledge of each other was a little low,” Brenneman said. “But we have done a lot of bonding activities, and we’ve grown to be closer. And I’m really excited. I think this first real performance is just gonna bring us more together too.”
As a senior, Brenneman feels bittersweet about her last season.
“It’s sad because every time I do something I’m like ‘aw it’s my last year’,” Brenneman said. “But I’m definitely ready to be in the crowds next year cheering.”
Vande Berg felt that the Winter Show was a good start to the season.
“This is the only chance we’re gonna have to perform our music before competitions,” Vande Berg said. “We learned this especially last year, but to understand how you’ll feel with nerves, and especially [in] like a low stress environment like this. I mean, it’s still stressful, but in a lower stress environment compared to a competition. It’s really nice just to be able to get all those first time jitters out.”
Vande Berg is looking forward to the Show Choir and Jazz season to come.
“We have competitions like every Saturday this [winter] for Show Choir,” Vande Berg said. “For Jazz Band, February is the month. We have competitions like every Friday and then we have the Chicago trip. We’re going to be going places.”
