Hello parents, students, alumni, & friends of the Kimberly High School Choirs!

My name is Erin Poggemann and I am the 2021-22 KHS Choir Council President. I am proud to invite each and every one of you to our Fall Choir Concert, Collage, which will be taking place on October 12 at 7 PM in the Kimberly High School Auditorium. 

It is shocking to realize that this concert will be the first Fall Choir Concert we have put on in two whole years. Not only did we miss challenging ourselves to learn a full set of music in only 5-6 weeks, but we missed singing in the auditorium for an audience of passionate supporters. Every time I perform with our choir community, it never fails to bring me joy. Seeing the faces of audience members always makes singing so much more worthwhile. 

As we approached the 2021-22 school year, I honestly had no idea what would be in store for us. Choir, as a whole, looked a lot different last year: sitting six feet apart in the auditorium during choir rehearsals, always wearing masks while singing, filming our concerts over the course of days and sending it out to viewers with a link, singing for much less time during each rehearsal because of air flow, and many other things. With all of these adjustments to our normal daily routine, nothing felt real. 

Every change led to a different emotion, and most of us did not know how to feel. However, when I stepped into choir each day, I felt joy and love from an outstanding community of people. Most schools were unable to sing together last year. However, we were so fortunate to be able to sing together and it was what we needed as a community. Even though I knew that there was no chance of being "normal" during the 2020-21 school year, choir brought happiness into every day.

Now, after we've gone through that low point, we've finally made it to a year I've titled: "Almost Normal". Sure, we still have to wear masks and all of that, but this is the year where everything we missed out on can finally come back. Every day that we gather together as a choir is preparing us to grow as a community. Once again, we get to show off our hard work to real people, not just a camera. Most importantly, we can finally perform in an "Almost Normal" way. Kimberly High School choir students value the connections that we make with not only each other, but also with you, our supporters. We are so thankful to be a part of something that brings so much joy to so many people. 

Our music this year revolves around the idea that we are getting our lives back. Our songs deal with loss -- and hope; they celebrate how during COVID-19, we were still able to have connections with our loved ones, and that those connections pushed us to come out stronger in the end. We are currently in the process of perfecting our music, paying attention to every detail and we look forward to showcasing all of our work on stage in the coming weeks.  

From all seven of the Kimberly Choirs, we thank you for supporting us through this journey and hope you to see you at our Fall Choir Concert on October 12. 

Hello parents, students, alumni, and friends of the Kimberly High School Choirs!

Our final concert of the 2020-21 school year, “Finale”, is quickly approaching! This two-night event will feature our auxiliary ensembles performing on May 18 in the auditorium at 6:00 PM. Our core choirs will perform on May 19 in the gym at 7:00 PM. 

One thing that remains the same throughout every school year (pandemic or no pandemic) is the bittersweet farewell after every spring choir concert. This is the last time that the ensembles with these specific people will get to perform, and it’s the last chance for the seniors to cement their legacies in the Kimberly Choir program. We are so incredibly proud of the work that the seniors have put into this program for the past 4 years, and we cannot wait to see what their futures hold.

As we reflect on this past year, we could not be more proud of this program. We have persevered through all of the challenges of a year like no other. When we started school in the fall, we discussed what would be different throughout the year. But more importantly, we discussed what would stay the same. The musicianship that will be on display for this concert is the same as it always has been. In times like these, it’s important to know how your life is still the same. It gives us hope to know that -- someday -- things will be normal again, and that means for us as a choir program that students will -- someday -- be back to rehearsing in the choir room and standing shoulder to shoulder.

Looking back, we have also had the opportunity to embrace the  many challenges of this year. During this school year, our choir program has managed to put together many events to help the community. For Halloween, we were able to put together a costume contest to help with COVID relief. During the holidays, we held a food drive to help those in our local community. This spring, we were able to have a penny war (choir vs. band) where all the proceeds went to the nonprofit, “Love One International.” This nonprofit organization that provides medical help to children in Uganda. 

As we see the world taking steps into the future, we hope that the music you hear at our concerts gives you the feeling of growth. Over the past year, we as students have seen each other grow as both people and musicians. This year we feel that we have seized the opportunity given to us. We’ve learned that life gives you opportunities for a reason, and it’s up to us to take them. In Concert Choir's song “Finale B”, you will hear the words of composer, Jonathan Larson, as he tells us all to seize the moment: 

 “No day but today.”

As we reflect on this year of music-making, we feel so incredibly fortunate and humbled to have served as your Co-presidents this past school year. It’s an opportunity that we will never forget.

Gratefully,
​Grant & Callie

PLEASE NOTE: This concert is NOT open to the public due to COVID-19 protocols. Each choir member will receive up to four tickets per concert for family members to attend. ​

Hello, Kimberly Choir Community!

We are Grant Colling and Callie Grones, both seniors in Concert Choir, and we are your 2020-21 Choir Council Co-Presidents. For the first time in KHS Choir history, two people have been chosen to serve the choir council in the presidential role, and we couldn’t be happier to be serving and leading this program together.

It makes sense that this is a year to make history, because 2020 has been anything but normal. This has been a wild ride for all of us: what we’ve experienced, seen, heard, felt, and what we’ve constantly had to adapt to. We all have our own stories to tell about how this year has been so far, and that’s why we think this is such a pivotal moment in time. 

As the 2020-21 school year approached, we all came into school having different experiences from COVID 19. We had events and vacations cancelled, limited contact with people we love, and even some of our family members having contracted the virus themselves. Early on in the year, with all of the craziness and unknowns we faced, we as a choir community discussed what makes this year different from other years. We talked about how it’s difficult to wear masks all day, especially when trying to sing and create beautiful music together. We talked about physical distancing, how we can’t socialize like we used to or just be together in the same ways. We, not only as a choir community, but as a society, have needed to learn new ways to adapt to change. It’s been challenging.

But even more importantly, we talked about what has stayed the same. We gather together because of our passion for music. We gather together because of our desire for excellence and strength that is the Kimberly Choir program. But we think most importantly, we gather for each other, to be with each other and to feel the connection that is formed when we take that first breath and begin to sing. We gather because though we are all different people, we are connected by what we love. 

In times like these we need to remember how and why we rise out of a place of darkness like this. Concert Choir will sing a song called “A World Gone Quiet,” a new choral composition written specifically for the victims of COVID-19, and we would like to call your attention to one of the phrases in the music:

“Like the Sun which never dies, we will rise.”

This short, simple phrase says it all. As a choir community, group of people, friends, family, and ultimately the whole world, we are the Sun. We, as a collective whole, possess what we need to get ourselves out of this situation together. Showing love and care for one another can give us the strength to be able to rise up. We lift up someone, they lift up someone else, then that person lifts up someone else, and it continues on and on. We as a society will be able to heal the hurt that has been felt by all of us. We will make it through together. We will rise together -- and we will become stronger together.

We are in the process of putting together a virtual performance during these fall months. Please stay tuned for more details! We thank you for your support of the Kimberly Choirs! 

Hello, Friends and Family of the Kimberly High School Choirs!

Our last concert of the year, appropriately named Finale, will be held on May 15 at 7:00 pm in the KHS Auditorium. We hope you can come celebrate the past year of music with us!

This concert serves as a grand culmination of all the work we’ve put into our music over the course of the year. We get the chance to perform as an entire choir program one last time. For many of us (especially the seniors), this might be our last choir concert ever.  It is so odd to think about the “lasts” of anything. As a senior, this year has seemed to just be a series of lasts -- our last school dance, last AP test, and now the last choir concert. I think that for many of us, this particular finale is the most difficult; we don’t want to let go of the friends and music we've grown up with. 

Change is hard in any form. Some of us will be moving from Chorale to Bella Voce, others will be moving from Bella Voce to Concert Choir; still others will be leaving high school all together. What I think gives me the most comfort, though, is that we never really leave the music behind. Even those who might not continue with choir get to keep what they’ve accomplished so far. We get the comfort of turning on the radio and being brought back to the feelings of comfort and safety we felt within the four walls of the choir room. It's one thing that never changes; wherever you go in life, there will be music.   One song ending is merely an opportunity for another one to begin.

​I hope this concert reminds you how lucky we are to live in a world with music. We can never be truly alone when we are surrounded by music. During this quarter, Concert Choir has been working on a piece called “The Awakening” that describes a world without music. There is a line in that song that I hope stays with you as we move on to new phases of our lives:  “Let music never die in me, forever let my spirit sing.”

Thank you for a beautiful year of music!