Goodbye 2022 NAHS Chorus!

Goodbye 2022 NAHS Chorus!

        As the school year comes to a close, so does chorus. Even though this is our first year really back from COVID, we still managed to have an almost normal and amazing school year! To wrap up this year, let’s take a look back at what we as a choral department have done, starting with the 2022 Winter Chorus Concert.

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The January concert was lots of fun! The hustle and bustle of the prism concert had been over for about a month, and that meant new music was coming to the auditorium. Here is a video of the concert! The order of performances are as follows:

Opening remarks from Nightingale presidents Paige Horvath and Caroline Hunter

Nightingales

NoteWorthy

The Four Horsemen

Concert Choir

Cantus

Encore with all choral department members

2022 Winter Chorus Concert Link

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Next, the 2022 Northampton County Chorus Festival was unfortunately postponed because of rising COVID cases. Shout out to all of the students selected for the chorus!

Jason Cozza
Damon Dellano
Nina Facciponti 
Allie Goodricke
Ella Rose Kober
Aaron Louw
Jaydon Lyon
Aiden Mannix
Killian Robinson
William Rowley
Colleen Shuler
Jordan Soffera
Sean Strauss

2022 County Chorus

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Nightingale auditions were next! Students were voice tested and asked to sight read a few measures. With a total of 24 members, here are the 2022-2023 Nightingales. Congrats everyone!

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Up next, District Chorus! From February 10-12, students got together to sing, “Awake the Trumpets Lofty Sound.” We were lucky enough for 15 students to get selected!

                                                                2022 District Chorus

Congrats to all participants!

Julia Borawski
Hailey Falzone
Marina Falzone
Kailey Force
Sofia Forgione
Connor Hageman
Paige Horvath
Caroline Hunter
Jacob Kremer
Noah Lyon
Robert Olson
Eesha Patel
Lindsey Rupp
Blake Shuler
Dean Tarriff

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Then, love travelled through the air of NAHS! The Crescendudes sang their 2022 Valentine’s Day grams. They were completely sold out and a huge hit around the building! Here is one of their performances:

2022 Crescendude Valentine’s Day Grams

Also, shout out to the senior Dudes!

Seth Hubler
Noah Lyon
Gavin Mills
Robert Olson
William Rowley

                                                                  2022 Crescendudes 

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Plus, Region Chorus happened! From March 24-26, students gathered to sing. Great job to all 9 students selected!

                                                                2022 Region Chorus

Congrats to the participants!

Marina Falzone
Caroline Hunter
Eesha Patel
Kailey Force
Paige Horvath
Robert Olson
Lindsey Rupp
Dean Tarriff
Sofia Forgione

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When they were there, the Nightingales also performed at the 2022 PMEA State Conference! They were selected over many other groups and it is a huge honor :) Here is their entire performance:

2022 Night's PMEA Conference

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Next, Nazareth Night at the Phantom’s took place! Cantus was able to sing the National Anthem for the entire stadium.

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Perhaps one of the biggest events of the year, PMEA All State Chorus! From April 6-9, five students from Nazareth we lucky enough to sing with the chorus. Congrats to them!

                                                                2022 All-State Chorus

Congrats to the participants!

Lindsey Rupp
Eesha Patel
Dean Tarriff
Robert Olson
Caroline Hunter

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Cantus auditions! Congratulations to all new members for the 2022-2023 school year!

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Nazapalooza was next on the list. Performances from the Nightingales, Cantus, and many more filled the stage. While we have no pictures, the event was a success! The outdoor stage in front of the gym was fun for people to watch. The nearby food trucks weren't bad either! 

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The final main event of the year was the NAHS and NAMS Spring Serenade! Performances from every choral group and the middle school blew audiences away. Here is the last group number. “Somebody To Love,” by Queen was our grand finale!

2022 Spring Finale Number

An exciting announcement at the concert was the new Four Horsemen! With 3 of the 4 members graduating, 3 more were inducted live at the concert. Congrats!

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Congratulations to the graduating class of 2022!

Elizabeth Deaner
Abigail Entwistle
Hailey Falzone
Marina Falzone
Norah Girton
Allie Goodricke
Henry Grimm
Nathan Guzman
Connor Hageman
Paige Horvath
Seth Hubler
Caroline Hunter
Noah Lyon
Jaydon Lyon
Aiden Mannix
Gavin Mills
Robert Olson
Eesha Patel
John Rodriguez
William Rowley
Kaylee Schiavone
Blake Shuler
Colleen Shuler
Jordan Soffera

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With a few showcases for the intermediate and elementary schools, the Dudes, Four Horsemen, and other groups put music into the younger kids eyes. We think they all enjoyed it!

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Here is the Nightingale and Concert Choir Executive Board for the 2022-2023 school year! Students were voted on and nominated by other students.

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It is always sad when something good ends. But don’t worry! August will roll around, and we can all start singing once again. Whether your a Nightingale, a Concert Choir member, or someone not in chorus, thank you. Let’s have an AMAZING summer, and an even better year next year :D

-Ava DeFebbo, NAHS Choral Department Historian and Social Media Manager

 

Happy New Year from the NAHS Choral Department!

Happy New Year from the NAHS Choral Department!

December was a very busy month for the choral department! We started the month with a performance from Cantus and Nightingales at Kirkland Village. It was a nice way to kick off the holiday season and break the ice before our first concert, and the residents really enjoyed getting to see us perform. 

Next up was our 2021 Holiday Prism Concert. We had two shows, December 8th and 9th, and the concert featured performances from the entire music department. The prism concert is unlike any ordinary concert. Groups perform all over the auditorium, and clapping is discouraged between performances, which allows for the feel of a cohesive and more exciting show. Check out this behind the scenes video to learn more about the prism concert and how the choral department prepared for it!

Holiday Prism 2021: The Making of a Concert

Continuing on with the spread of holiday cheer, Cantus and Nightingales paid a visit to the Nazareth Center for the Arts and other places around the community for Christmas in Nazareth. Groups of strolling singers made their way around Nazareth singing carols for people in the area. 

                                                 

On Friday, December 17th, Cantus and Nightingales got to sing at Christkindlmarkt! The students left their second block class a little early to make their way to Bethlehem, where the outdoor Christmas market is located. We had some time to wander around the tents, eat some food, and look around at all the different vendors. Nightingales, Cantus, Crescendudes, and Noteworthy sang about 45 minutes of music in total before heading back to school. 

                                                    
                                                

                                                        

                                           

Just before winter break on December 21st, Noteworthy spent the day delivering jingle grams to students and staff. Jingle grams were sold during lunches the week prior, and students and Just before winter break on December 21st, Noteworthy spent the day delivering jingle grams to students and staff. Jingle grams were sold during lunches the week prior, and students and staff at NAHS were able to send one to a friend as a way of saying happy holidays. Noteworthy had a lot of fun spending the day together and making music.                                      

A big announcement was made right before school let out for the holidays, the Nightingales are singing at PMEA! The Nightingales have been three times before in 2014, 2017, and 2019. The conference will be held in early April, at Kalahari Resort and Convention Center. 

The choral department is ringing in the new year with preparation for our winter concert on Tuesday, January 11th at 6:00pm. We’ve been working hard since before the break, and we can’t wait to see you there!!

- Emma Higton, Choral Department Historian

Congratulations to our Northampton County Chorus Participants!

Jason Cozza

Damon Dellanno

Nina Facciponti

Allie Goodricke

Ella Rose Kober

Aaron Louw

Jaydon Meszler Lyon

Aiden Mannix

Kilian Robinson

Will Rowley

Colleen Shuler

Jordan Soffera

Sean Strauss

Congratulations to our District 10 Chorus Participants!

Julia Borawski

Hailey Falzone

Marina Falzone

Kailey Force

Sofia Forgione

Connor Hageman

Paige Horvath

Caroline Hunter

Jacob Kremer

Noah Meszler Lyon

Robert Olson

Eesha Patel

Lindsey Rupp

Blake Shuler

Dean Tarriff

Follow us on social media!

Instagram- @nazchorus

Twitter-@NazChorus

Facebook- Naz Sings

Youtube- Kelly Rocchi, NAHS Choral Director

NAHS Choral Department is Back!

Our first full month of school has come to a close, and things in the Nazareth Choral Department are looking a bit different from last year. After a year in the LGI, we are finally back in room 322! For some, this is their first time in the chorus room, and for others they are returning to the room they grew to know and love. The theme for the chorus room is the Chinese Lunar New Year. Thanks to senior Henry Grimm for some great decorations! 

While the days of switching locations every thirty minutes are gone, we are still utilizing the outdoor classroom. Being outside allows us to sing without masks on (if students feel comfortable with this), which is huge for improving vocal technique. It’s also nice to be able to see everyone’s faces again! Another big change is the return of five day weeks. Readjusting back to going to school every day hasn’t been easy, but it is all worth it to finally be able to sing all together as a group again. Last year, Mrs. Rocchi saw half of her classes just once every week, but this year we all get to sing with each other every other day. More class time also means less time practicing and learning music on our own outside of school, and we’ve luckily been able to escape the all too familiar video recordings we became accustomed to last year. 

    All of the choirs have already begun working on their repertoire for the Holiday Prism Concert, as well as the January Winter Concert. The Nightingales have been brushing up on their casual repertoire because soon enough we will return to regularly singing for nursing home residents in person! We made our first trip to Moravian Hall Square on October 18th, where we got to perform outside for some of the residents. We all enjoyed singing for a live audience again, and it seemed like the residents and staff enjoyed it as well. Aside from our concerts and nursing home visits, the Choral Department has a few other gigs lined up for this fall and winter, a big change from last year. We are all looking forward to bringing music back into the community this year, and we can’t wait to sing for you again! 

Check out the following dates for some of our upcoming performances!

All Choirs - Prism Concert- December 8th and 9th

Cantus and Nightingales - Christkindlmarkt - December 17th from 1:00 - 2:00 PM

All Choirs - Winter Concert - January 11th

Nazareth Night at the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Cantus will sing the National Anthem!) - April 1st

All Choirs - Spring Concert - May 12th

Emma Higton, Choral Department Historian

Spring Time Is Here And The Concerts Are Near!

The choir students have been very busy these past couple of months. The winter concert is wrapped up, and was posted on Mrs. Rocchi's Youtube Channel (be sure to check it out!) https://youtu.be/vv32JxTy60c 

Now, everybody has been in preparation for the upcoming Pops Concert and the Spring Concert. The theme for this years Pops Concert is "Places" and the choirs are putting some wonderful pieces together! We are so grateful that we will be able to perform in front of an audience for this Pops Concert. This year, each student will be allowed to invite two guests that will all socially distance in the high school auditorium. Due to everything going on in the world right now, we are thrilled to be singing in front of an audience once again! A huge thank you to our Principal, Mr. Davis and Superintendent, Dr. Riker for this wonderful opportunity!

The Spring Concert is right around the corner and will be here before we know it! Mrs. Rocchi has been doing so much to get her students involved with this concert, and the preparations are coming together, beautifully. During our many snow days, Concert Choir and the Nightingales had a few Zoom calls together to pitch ideas to really bring the Spring Concert to life this year. The students have been hard at work, and we are so excited to share it with everyone very soon! Senior, Arianna Casner, took it upon herself to reach out to the arts department to see if they would like to be included in making art to be displayed at the Spring Concert, and they said yes! For the past two weeks, students have been submitting beautiful works of art with the prompt, "What does music mean to you?". The pieces of art are now hanging on the cafeteria windows for students to see as they walk down the halls. 

We are so excited to share our performances with you in the very near future! Stay tuned, and remember to subscribe to Mrs. Rocchi's YouTube Channel for our performances so far this school year! 

Also a huge congratulations to Caroline Hunter, Henry Grimm, and Paige Horvath for auditioning into the 2021 All-State Chorus! We are so proud of you three! 

No worries -- Henry got a balloon too!

The Nightingales Spread the Joy of Hanukkah!

 An update from Senior, Giovy Funari

 As most of the community knows, the Nazareth Band, Choirs, and other ensembles have been contributing to the 25 Tunes of Christmas on Mrs. Rocchi's YouTube Channel.  The Nightingales posted a video of them singing a song that celebrates Hanukkah. 

The song is called "S'Vivon", composed by Betty Bertaux. It tells the story of the dreidel which is a popular Jewish toy, top-like and four-sided. It's a very popular game to play around Hanukkah and the letters on the dreidel translate to, "A Great Miracle Happened Here".  Hannah Schindler, Nightingale alum, gives a beautiful introduction to the song by sharing memories from her childhood playing the dreidel during Hanukkah. 

The Nightingales worked very hard on this piece of music and it came together beautifully. Remember you can still access the entire playlist of the "25 Tunes of Christmas" at the following link.  Please share!

Here's some behind the scene's footage of the Nightingales practicing "S'vivon"!

The Nightingales worked very hard on this piece of music and it came together beautifully. Remember you can still access the entire playlist of the "25 Tunes of Christmas" at the following link.  Please share!

The Power of Music

 An update from Junior, Robert Olson

As we continue through the year, we continue to provide a safe environment for us to share our music. Some new videos have been added since the last blog post on Mrs. Rocchi’s YouTube page. 

Members of our choir program performed the Alma Mater. Thank you to Jadon Lapp for putting this video together.

The Nightingales gave their thanks to the NAHS Staff for all their hard work during this crazy year.

On Veterans Day our choirs honored those who bravely fought for their country.

Singing music is one of my favorite things to do. It brings me together with my friends, and I am able to feel emotions that I wouldn’t normally be able to. Music is basically a miracle worker.

Music is such a miracle worker, that it is one of the best treatments for an Alzheimer’s patient. Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that can take a person’s memories away. Memories are basically what make up a person, and to have them taken away is truly horrible. Music is one of the few things that can spark an Alzheimer’s patient’s mind back into activity. I highly recommend you watch this short documentary about it:

Music therapy is becoming widespread throughout nursing homes. See this video to see it in action:

As stated in the video, music lights up many parts of the brain. It not only helps restore memories, but creates them. The memories I have made in choir I will cherish. I am so excited for what our choirs have in store for you in the future. I hope you all had a happy and safe Thanksgiving! Get ready for some Christmas songs coming your way! 

Back in Action - Caroline Hunter

An update from Junior, Caroline Hunter

As someone who has sung in Carnegie Hall, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Eastern Division Conference, and countless nursing homes, I can honestly say that this is the most insane year I’ve ever had as a student in the choral program at Nazareth Area High School.

The choir and class, Nightingales, has always been focused on not only singing great repertoire but also traveling to nursing homes such as Gracedale, Moravian Hall Square and Alexandria Manor in Nazareth. Our goal is to sing for people who could use a smile; or “Spread Joy Through Music'', as Mrs. Rocchi likes to say.

Nightingales' rehearsals have always been a place filled with hugs and holding hands, but now, we cannot do that. At the beginning of the year, I was saddened by the thought of not being able to do what Nazareth Chorus has always done. Some of my best memories are from delivering Jingle Grams to students while wearing obnoxiously ugly Christmas sweaters with NoteWorthy or singing ‘Amazing Grace’ next to Mrs. Rocchi as tears ran down her face. She's quite emotional if you didn't know!

 What can we substitute those unforgettable connections with? As I write this nostalgic blog post on October 15th, I can honestly say we’re working tirelessly to figure out just that. Earlier this week, the Nightingales had their first Zoom-performance with residents in the Skilled Nursing unit at Moravian Hall Square. Each of us placed our phones on music stands so residents could see us individually as we sang through the Zoom. We presented about 30 minutes of music and are looking forward to doing this again soon! Concert Choir will experience this as well in the near future.

The Nightingales will be heading back to Carnegie Hall but not until January of 2022. We will remain working hard this year to hone our talents....and Mrs. Rocchi has even added in some different things to our rehearsals -- like yoga!

Nazareth Chorus will not be drowned, we are simply building a bridge.

Cantus and NoteWorthy, smaller select choirs at the high school, are back up and running again as well. Rehearsals take place mostly outdoors with masks and we're thankful for the beautiful fall weather!

A few videos to share...

The Nightingales have been split up by their last names in order to fit the Hybrid Learning model. First up is Group 1 - this has students in it with last names A - K.

Group 1 - Last Names L - Z!

       Our new way of connecting with the world through music!

        Our new chorus room (the LGI) is beginning to take shape!  The seniors have begun to make posters that will hang in our classroom all year.  We will slowly make this room our home!