Standing on stage, a million different things are going to run through your head. From remembering to crescendo on that one part to wondering whether you remembered to turn the light off in the bathroom that morning, your mind is racing. Everything leading up to that moment when you and the choir start singing explodes and disappears, and you’re left smiling and watching your director’s hands cue you to come in.

On October 18th, 2018, Canyon High School’s Vocal Music program put on the Fall Concert, the first concert of the year. The five different choirs at Canyon had been preparing for this night since the beginning of the school year, some of the members coming into the program not even knowing how to read music. Since day one, the students have been taught three to six songs, most of them in languages other than English.

The theme of this concert was “Music from Around the World,” and that was no exaggeration, from the three Italian Aryas and Treble Clef’s upbeat Spanish dance to Chamber Singers’ Tagalog folk song and Advanced Treble’s Pakpaknese song. Instead of expressing the story of the song with their words, the singers all learned to tell a story with their expressions and body language, keeping the entire audience captivated.

There was also a special surprise at this concert. The internationally recognized cappella group, The Vanderbilt Melodores, gave the students a special “Q and A” session and performed at the concert as well. These performers knew their stuff, having been the champions of Season Five of The Sing-Off and performing for President Barack Obama at the White House. Some of the Melodores decided to join Canyon in the final group song, a traditional African piece from Swahili called O Sifuni Mungu, which translates to “O Praise God.”

Overall, the night was filled with spectacular music that all of the students worked hard to perform as best as they could. The concert was fantastic, and left many people ready for the upcoming Winter Concert in December.