On Monday, December 8th, the Del Mar High School Saxophone Ensemble and Concert Choir completed their annual tour throughout the district, in which they visited different schools around the county, as well as the local Women’s Club. The sites they toured were Monroe Middle School, Sherman Oaks Middle School, the Campbell Community Center, and the Campbell Union High School District (CUHSD) office.
The Saxophone Ensemble is a student-led group that meets after school for about an hour every week. The group is known to participate in neighborhood events to play all sorts of arrangements for the community. During the second semester, the group is planning to play against other schools in the district at an annual competition coming up this January.
The Victorian Carolers are a new addition to the choir, a student-led group that meets during class as well as outside of school and performs their own arrangements.
“This is my second year in choir, but last year, the Victorian Carolers didn’t exist,” says sophomore Rowan Baker, a member of the Victorian Carolers, “ We didn’t do this last year, so this is the first year of the Victorian Carolers.”
The two groups had arrived at Del Mar at 7:30 a.m. to prepare their music and for the departure. Their first stop was Monroe Middle School. The “Victorian Carolers” choir arrangement went up first. The songs they sang were “The First Noel,” “Silent Night,” “Deck the Halls,” “Jingle Bell,” “Minor Way,” “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” After the carolers, the saxophone ensemble went up. The songs they played were “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas,” “The Chipmunk Song,” “Christmas Eve Serejavo,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”
“It’s fun, [but] it’s kind of weird because I’ve always been a part of [the tour] and there’s always been other people who have been older, and they’ve always led it” says senior Chara Pinnella, one of the saxophone ensembles leads, “Now that it’s my senior year and I’m leading it, it’s kinda fun.”
Make sure to save the date: Monday, January 12, when the performing arts program will hold its own competition at Del Mar.
